When It's Meant To Be
by ACE732
Summary: After breaking up with Colin, Rory finds herself increasingly attracted to his best friend, the one and only Logan Huntzberger. But a playboy like him would never like her, would he? Dont own Gilmore Girls just this story.
1. Chapter 1: The Break Up

CHAPTER ONE

"So how did it go?" Logan asked, cautiously as his oldest friend, Colin sat in the booth directly across from Finn and himself. It wasn't really a question he had to ask as he could guess the answer from his friends miserable facial expression and body language. But he felt that he should still enquire, if only out of politeness. Colin didn't answer, instead he leaned over, grabbing Logan's glass and poured its remaining contents down his throat.

"I need another one. Same again boy's?" He took off his jacket before sliding out of the booth and headed towards the bar.

"Uh sure." nodded Logan, looking at Finn as if to say 'It was going to be a long night'.

"I'll have another one, mate" Shouted Finn as Colin was quickly served at the bar. "I guess the break up didn't go so well." he muttered to the side. Logan looked at Finn and then over at Colin as he came back from the bar with their drinks.

'See this is why I don't do commitment' he thought to himself and then smiled and took his drink from the tray.

Logan couldn't quite believe it when his childhood friend had come to him, little over a month ago, and told him that he was now a one woman man. Up until that point, the three of them had avoided commitment like the plague. So you could imagine both his and Finns surprise when Colin had decided to settle down with one Rory Gilmore. Logan had always liked Rory. She wasn't like most other girls he knew. She was smart, kind, funny, incredibly quick witted and not to mention, beautiful. But he had never been interested in her. He was intrigued by her after their first meeting, when she had accused him of being an elitist snob. He particularly liked the fact that she had had no idea who he was and so didn't let him get away with anything. But she wasn't his type. Then again, he had never thought that she was Colin's type either.

"So what happened then, mate?" asked Finn in a much too happy sounding voice. However, he was already several shades to the wind so he could be forgiven for not showing the required level of compassion to suit the situation.

"I don't really want to talk about it." Colin stated , irritation creeping into his voice.

"It cant be that bad." Finn replied, slurring his words as he spoke. Their Australian friend had been in the pub since lunchtime. It was now approaching seven o'clock. "Jusht think of all the lovely Sheila's you'll be able to enjoy now that you're a free man."

Colin thought for a moment before taking a swig from his glass.

"You know what Finn? You're absolutely right and I am going to enjoy said Sheila's starting now." He agreed, scanning the room for the perfect rebound girl. He caught the eye of some blonde at the corner table who had been glancing in their direction all night. Colin slid out of the booth and sauntered off to begin his new life as a free man. Finn laughed and downed his drink, swaying on his chair and then fell into Logan's side. "Finn, you should learn to take 'no' for an answer, man." Logan laughed, pushing his inebriated friend off of him causing him to land on the floor just as a red-head passed by. Finn glanced up, taking in her form as he tried to stand up straight. "My dear, I fell at your feet. It is fate that we meet." he rhymed, staggering after the new love of his life. Logan laughed to himself, shaking his head at his crazy friend's antics before turning to see Colin get a slap on the face for his efforts, before moving onto the next girl. 'Yep, it was a regular Saturday night' he thought to himself 'Now time to get a piece of the action'. At that he downed the rest of his scotch, as the blonde girl, who had slapped Colin just a few moments before planted herself in the vacated chair next to him. She slid her hand onto his thigh and smiled at him as he looked her up and down, taking in her plunging neck-line. She was smiling back at him.

"So do you want to buy me a drink?" she asked, in a sweet voice, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Logan smiled. 'She'll do.'

"What can I get you?" Tonight was going to be a good night.

"Life sucks!" exclaimed Rory as she buried her head in her hands.

"Its not that bad." replied Paris, in as sincere a tone as she could muster.

"Its not that bad?" Rory glared at her friend incredulously. "I just got dumped. How can it be 'not that bad'?"

"Because, you just got dumped by Colin McCrae. Now, however embarrassing it might be that he dumped you, you should look at the positives and thank god that he did you a huge favour." she finished.

"Paris!"

"Rory, the guy was a jerk with a capital 'J'. You'll be better off without him." Rory sighed, as Paris sat down on the sofa and looked at her friend seriously.

"Its not like you were in love with him were you?" Rory thought for a moment before answering. "No, but-"

"So, was the sex anything to write home about?" she cut in, making Rory cringe inwardly and outwardly. "Because you never sounded like it was very good."

"Paris!" In all the years that she had known Paris, she had never quite gotten used to her bluntness.

"So, then what's the big loss?" she asked furrowing her brows, not understanding why Rory would be upset over Colin. She had never liked Colin or his friends, but she looked at Rory closely, intent on discovering why Rory was so upset. Rory sighed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I just… I liked having someone, you know." Rory thought for a second that she saw the slightest glimmer of understanding in Paris' eyes until she jumped up from her spot on the sofa and walked over to the table to pick up her book bag.

"So, get a puppy. You don't have to deal with their mind games, they're loyal and you can housetrain them. Guys are such slobs." she told her.

"Gee thanks Paris, you really are such a true friend." she said sarcastically, smiling at her crazy friend.

"Hey, I'm sorry but I'm happy you two broke up." Paris slung her book bag over her shoulder. "Now I don't have to deal with those moronic friends of his." Rory smirked remembering how insane Logan, Finn and Colin would make Paris, just by breathing.

"They're not that bad." she said getting up from the sofa, moving towards her room.

"Are you freaking kidding me? I'm always terrified that I'm going to catch something from them if I stand too close." Paris had a tendency to clean the dorm room after a visit from the 'Three Stooges' as she referred to them.

"You're neurotic!" Rory told her, walking into her room.

"Yeah, well you'll thank me when there's an outbreak of Chlamydia and you and I are the only two people to remain clap free."

"Paris that's gross." she shouted before returning to the common room.

"But true."

Where are you going?" Rory asked her as she headed for the door.

"I have to go harass my professor, he gave me an A- on a test last week and I absolutely refuse to accept anything less than A+" she stated angrily, stomping out the door.

"Okay, have fun with that." Rory called after her in a sing-song voice. Whoever the professor was, she felt sorry for them as hell hath no furry like Paris Gellar scorned.

"Doyle, I told you. I will have the article finished and on your desk before the deadline. I am nothing if not true to my word." Logan was getting irritated. He was in the process of shutting off his computer as he tried to get away from the stressfulness of dealing with 'Dictator Doyle' and his obsessive need for him to write something.

"Yeah, well, I'll believe that when I see it, Huntzberger!" Doyle called after him, Logan had already left. Doyle sighed.

Logan exited the newsroom in such a desperate hurry to get away from the little Nazi, as he so lovingly referred to Doyle, he didn't see her walking in his direction until it was too late.

"Oh God, I'm really sorry. I didn't…" He bent down to help her pick up the things he had knocked out of her possession before realising who it was. "Rory!".

"Don't worry. I wasn't looking where I was going." She still hadn't looked up.  
"Ace?" He smirked at her as she gathered up her things. She glanced up at him, at hearing his nickname for her, slightly blushing in the process.

"Logan! Hey." She was surprised by his presence. She hadn't seen him around since the big break-up.

"Hey." He said, trying to sound friendly but knowing that there was an awkwardness between them. "Uh, how are you? I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I'm good." She nodded, feigning a smile at him. "You know, busy. Studying."

"Right." He remembered how dedicated she was to her schoolwork. She put him to shame.

"You?" She questioned, hugging her book to her body.

"The same…" He said without thinking. "…except for the studying part."

"Right. Of course." She laughed, relaxing a little. Logan looked at her as she brushed a strand of brown hair from her face. She was beautiful, he had to admit.

"So are you heading in?" Rory asked, referring to the newsroom.

"Um, no. Heading out." He replied, feeling a resurgence in the annoyance he felt before seeing her. "Doyle's on the warpath."

"Right." She smiled, understandingly. There was a pause as both looked at each other.

"Well, I should…" She indicated towards the room which he had just come from.

"Right." He nodded, moving out of her way to let her pass. "I guess I'll see you around."

She smiled awkwardly, rearranging her books in her arms. "I'll see you around."

As she turned to walk away, he grabbed her arm gently. She spun around in surprise at his actions, to see him smirking at her. Logan had an amazing smile. Even though they were only ever friends, she could fully understand why he had girls chasing him. He was stunningly attractive. His messy blonde hair, his chiselled features, big brown eyes and a body that would make you go weak at the knees. But his smile was what she thought was his best feature. It lit up his eyes and brought out those cute dimples on his cheeks. When Logan Huntzberger smiled at you, you knew you were in trouble.

"Don't be a stranger, Ace!" He told her, before removing his hand from her arm. He winked at her and then walked away. Her skin tingled where we had touched her. She could feel her face turning a different shade of crimson. Her heart was racing. Logan had never had this type of reaction from her before. She couldn't possibly be developing a thing for him. Could she?


	2. Chapter 2: Battles

Chapter Two.

As she entered the newsroom, ducking passed Doyle, who was having a rather heated discussion with one of the other journalists. Rory made her way to her desk and sat down, dropping her books onto the table. She usually loved to sit and watch the hustle and bustle of the newsroom as everyone rushed around, desperately trying to get their story finished in time for the deadline. However, her mind was elsewhere. She was still buzzing from her encounter with Logan, moments ago. Her skin still felt tingly from where he had touched her arm and she felt herself smile, unconsciously as she remembered the wink he gave her.

She had always found Logan good-looking, but he was way too aware of the fact that he was good-looking . The arrogance and cocky charm mixed with the carefree attitude, didn't do it for her. He was too much of a risk taker. He was too much of a slacker for the likes of her. He traded off of his family name and that just didn't appeal to someone like Rory, who had had to work so hard for everything she had.

Colin, on the other hand, could be just as arrogant and frivolous as Logan. But, once you got passed the snobbish façade, he was just as driven as she was. He could rival her when it came to the book learning and could actually be quite sweet. However, there was no chemistry between them. No spark. When he kissed her, she didn't feel the butterflies or feel excited just being in his presence. She never spent her day's daydreaming about him or ever wonder what he was doing at that exact moment in time. Their relationship didn't have the passion required to be sustainable. They were more like friends than anything , and both of them knew it.

So, he wasn't the great love of Rory Gilmore's life after all, but she wasn't even going to entertain the possibility of letting herself fall for Logan Huntzberger.

She wasn't going to be one of those girls who ditch their morals just to be seen on the arm of the Huntzberger heir. On many a night out with Colin, she had bore witness to Logan and the type of girl he surrounded himself with. Let's just say that they wouldn't be winning any Nobel Peace Prize's anytime soon. Not that she thought herself to be better than them, she just wasn't the type of girl to sleep around or chase after a guy because of his bank balance. She wasn't that girl. She wouldn't let herself be. But she couldn't quite shake the feeling he left her with. Somehow, with one wink of the eye, one touch on the arm and one sexy as hell, smile, Rory Gilmore was reduced to a puddle of mush, and it killed her.

"Gilmore! I don't pay you to sit around daydreaming." Doyle barked, as he glared at her from his desk. Rory snapped out of her haze and rolled her eyes, switching on her computer.

"You don't pay me at all, Doyle. It's a College paper." He couldn't argue with that.

"Well, get some work done. I don't need one of my best reporter's getting all teary-eyed because they got dumped."

"I'm touched by your concern, Doyle. Truly." She told him, sarcasm evident in her tone. Rory could see quite perfectly how well suited both he and Paris were. Neither had a compassionate bone in their body. "And I am not all 'teary-eyed' as you so eloquently put it. I was just planning how to start my new article." She lied.

"Hmm, well just…make it interesting. Nobody wants to be put to sleep while they read their morning paper." Rory sighed.

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" She said, giving him a mock salute. Doyle just glared at her , before turning away and yelling at someone else.

She had been staring at her blank, computer screen for almost forty-five minutes. No matter which angle she thought of, she couldn't find the right words to commit to her article. She was stumped and that did not happen to a Gilmore very often. She had a very serious case of Writer's block.

"I'm going to Doyle's, okay." Paris said as she popped her head round the door to Rory's bedroom. Rory glanced up briefly, before typing something and then deleting it again. "I'm staying over, which mean's that we'll probably have sex."

Rory scrunched her face up as her mind was flooded with disturbing images of Paris and her Editor, getting it on.

"Paris, I don't really want to know the details."

"I'm just communicating. Terrence said that its important that I am open and that I express myself clearly to those around me." She explained, referring to her life coach. Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Well, you don't have to be so open and expressive with me."

At that, Paris mumbled something under her breath and stormed out, banging the door shut behind her. Settling back down to focus on her work, she was disturbed again by her cell phone ringing. Sighing, Rory picked it up, while shutting down her laptop and moved from the bed to her desk.

"Hey Mom!" She answered, in a defeated sounding voice.

"'HEY MOM'!" Lorelai practically bellowed down the phone. "That's all you have to say to me? I haven't seen you in seven day's, eighteen hours, twenty-six minutes and…thirty-two seconds, and that's all you have to say to me? Your mother. The woman who gave birth to you. The woman who carried you in her womb for nine months, thus having to give up coffee. I gave up coffee for you for all that time. I introduced you to the many wondrous things this world has to offer…"

Rory rolled her eyes as her mother rambled on an on.

"…U2 and The Clash, Willy Wonka, Luke's coffee…"

"Mom." She tried to interrupt her yammering without much success.

"If it wasn't for me, you would be destined to a world of tea parties and function's. Plastering a fake smile on your face as Emily tries to sell you off to the highest bidder."

"Mom!"

"You really should be more grateful."

"Are you finished?"

"I could go on."

"Please don't" Rory did feel a slight twinge of guilt. She hadn't really spoken much to her mother in over a week. Truthfully, she didn't really want to hear her tell her how bad Colin was for her and how right she was about him. Lorelai had never really liked Colin much, or his friends. He belonged to the world she had fought so hard to break free of.

"How are you doing, hun?" Lorelais' voice softened, laced with concern for her only daughter.

"I'm fine." Rory replied, a little unconvincingly. This was her mother she was talking to. The woman who knew her better than she knew herself.

"You wanna try again there, kid?"

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm just stressed out with this article I'm trying to write, that's all."

"When is it due?"

"Next week."

"Why don't you come home this weekend. You need to have a proper wallow fest. We can gorge ourselves on candy and takeout, watch really bad movies, make a voodoo doll of Colin and stick pins in it." Rory felt herself laughing at her mothers idea. It did sound appealing. She hadn't been home for a while but she couldn't. She had to get started on her article. She couldn't put it off any longer.

"I cant Mom. Maybe next weekend." There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"Rory-"

"Mom, I'm okay. Really. I'm not hiding away pining over Colin. We broke up. It's over and I am completely okay with that."

"Really?" Lorelai asked sceptically.

"Yes. Now I have to go. I promise I will call you tomorrow. I love you."

"Okay. Love you too, hun."

"Bye." Rory hung up the phone and booted her laptop back up, determined to start her article or at least die trying.

She wasn't trying to push her mom away, she just didn't feel a great loss. She had had time to come to terms with her break up and she felt okay about it. Colin was not the one for her. Deep down, Rory knew that all along.

As she cleared some of her books laying, picking them up, she noticed one which looked unfamiliar. It was an old, battered and torn copy of 'Moby Dick'. It definitely wasn't hers. She browsed through it, reading the margin notes, whomever it belonged to, had written. She didn't recognise the handwriting. Turning to the back of the book, she came across an inscription. It read:

'To my little brother. I hope this book inspires you and gives you hope.

From your ever loving sister, Honor.'

'Honor'. The only 'Honor' Rory knew was Logan's sister, Honor. Then it dawned on her. This was Logan's copy of 'Moby Dick'. He must have dropped it when they bumped into each other, the day before.

She had to admit, she was slightly surprise that Logan actually read anything, let alone 'Moby Dick'. Reading the inscription again, she smiled. If Logan carried this old book around with him, it obviously meant something to him. She would have to return it.

"Um, Colin! To whom does this belong, mate?" Colin looked up from the television screen to see his friend twirling a black, lacy bra in his hand. It had been a long, boring day of class after class and test after test for Colin. He wanted to just sit back and relax in front of the box. That's why it took him a few seconds longer to register that Finn was talking to him. As it dawned on him, whose bra it was, he snatched it from the Australian's clutches as he held it up against his own chest. Rolling it up, he stuffed it into a box, which was sitting next to the door to his bathroom.

"That's Rory's. She must have left it here." He mumbled, returning to his spot on the sofa. He vaguely remembered the night he had pried it from her. She had taken some convincing, which was understandable considering the fact that Finn would very likely walk in at any moment. He frowned. Somehow, Finn had managed to procure himself a spare set of keys for his apartment without his knowledge or consent.

"Do you have any beef burgers, Col? I'm famished." Finn asked, patting his stomach while getting up from the sofa.

"Aah, no way Finn. You are not cooking anything in my kitchen. Last time, you almost burned the place down." He told him, craning his neck in Finns direction.

"Oh come on. That was one time." Finn whined, heading back to the sitting area, crossing his arms and pouting like a five year old. Colin smiled at his friend before shaking his head. "Well, Logan better get here quickly. If I cant eat then I need something to drink. We are running out of precious drinking time."

As if on cue, Logan entered Colin's apartment and he was not in a good mood. The two dark-haired friends watched as he stormed in, walked to the bar to pour himself a drink and then planted himself onto the closest chair available. He downed the contents of his glass in one go, before throwing his head back and groaning in frustration.

"Rough day mate?" Finn had an awful knack of stating the obvious, particularly when it didn't need to be stated. Logan opened his eyes and glared at him. He then placed the cold glass to his forehead and let out a huge sigh.

"Mitchum wants me to go visit a paper in Omaha with him. I don't even know where 'Omaha' is!"

"Nebraska." Colin stated matter-of factly. Logan just groaned again.

"Isn't that where Dorothy was from in 'The Wizard of Oz.'?" Finn asked, curiously, furrowing his brows as though it was really confusing him.

"That was Kansas, Finn." Colin replied, his annoyance starting to get the better of him. Finn just shrugged his shoulders and pulled himself up from the sofa, heading for the bathroom.

"How long is he making you go this time?" Colin was genuinely sorry for his friend. He knew how hard Mitchum was on Logan and now that he was in his senior year, the harassment was even more severe as he groomed him to take over the family company.

"Three day's. But that's not even the point. He just tells me, the day I'm supposed to leave. No warning. Nothing. I'm just supposed to drop everything and bow to his every command."

"Your leaving tonight?"

"Yeah. I've to meet him at eleven. Which gives me exactly two hours to go home, pack, finish my paper for my ethics class and take a shower." He listed, looking at his watch.

"That sucks man." Colin turned off the television and sat back on the sofa. He looked closely at his oldest friend. He looked tired and stressed out. He didn't look like the normal happy, go lucky guy that everyone knew him to be. His impending doom as the Huntzberger heir was weighing down on him. Slowly sucking all the life he had left in him. Logan sighed a deep, heavy sigh.

"That's my life." At that, he got up and went back over to the bar to get a refill. On his way, he noticed the cardboard box full of books and clothes, sitting by Colin's bathroom.

"Someone moving in?" He poured himself another drink as well as one for Colin and headed back to his seat. Colin took the glass and looked at the box he was referring to.

"Um, no. That's just some of Rory's stuff she left behind." He told him, taking a sip before placing his glass on the coffee table. He could feel Logan's eyes on him but he didn't look up.

"Are you going to take it to her?" Logan asked. Colin just shrugged his shoulders and picked up his glass. Logan didn't like to pry into other peoples affairs, that was Finn's job, but he was curious as to how things were between Colin and Rory. Whether or not they were still on good terms. He had seen Rory around a couple of times since the break up and could tell that she felt a little uncomfortable around him. He figured it was because he was Colin's best friend. But, he still classed Rory as his friend and hoped that just because they weren't together anymore, that he and she could still talk. He enjoyed their little banter sessions. He always loved to wind her up and piss her off, just to get a reaction. Anger definitely was a good look on her.

"Whose toothbrush is this?" Finn, demanded as he bounded back into the room. He was holding a rather wet toothbrush. Colin closed his eyes, silently seething as he knew what was coming.

"Seeing as you are in my apartment. That would make it my toothbrush, Finn."

"Oh, well sorry mate. I kind of dropped it into the toilet bowl by accident." Finn held the toothbrush out to him. Logan laughed at his friend. He could see Colin's usually cool demeanour slipping as he got more and more angry with Finn.

"What the hell, Finn?" Colin shouted, standing up and moving aggressively towards the Australian. "Why would you even be touching MY toothbrush in the first place?" Finn's smile faded as Colin lost his temper. Logan just sat back and smirked. He had had a stressful day with his father and all and was determined to sit back and enjoy the show.

He had known Colin McCrae since he was around two years old. He was certain that there was a sandpit involved and a lot of sand being dumped over Colin's head. Growing up, they both had sucky parents which allowed them to form a now unbreakable bond. Colin was a tight ass. He was stuck up and incredibly snobbish but, he definitely knew how to have fun. It was the craziness and love of adventure which kept them both sane and eventually brought Finn into their lives. They met him at a boarding school which Logan couldn't remember the name of. Finn was sitting waiting outside the Headmaster's office for his punishment, after being caught hiding in the girl's locker room. Logan and Colin were returning after suspension and the three of them just seemed to hit it off. They found a common love of pissing people off within each other, which still to this day, had not deserted them.

"I had bad breath. I didn't want to go meet the lovely red-heads with dog breath, so-"

"So, you thought you would just help yourself to my toothbrush." Logan was sure he could see steam coming from Colin's ears. Using his things was a big 'no no'.

"What's the problem? We're all friends here." Finn honestly could not understand why Colin was getting so worked up.

"Finn, Its gross. Not to mention unhygienic. And its MINE!" Colin was yelling now, his temper frayed. Logan was sure he was going to hit Finn and soon.

"See, that is the problem with the world these day's. No-one is willing to share. That, my friends, is why there are so many wars." That was the last straw for Colin. He moved towards Finn. Logan noticed his hand clenched tightly as he was about to hit him. That was his cue to get in between them, separating them before Finn's teeth were on the floor.

"Guy's enough. Look Colin go sit down and cool off. Have a drink." He pushed them apart, holding Colin at bay. Finn just continued to smile innocently. Logan could tell he had been winding Colin up on purpose. "Finn, next time you have bad breath, have a mint and leave Colin's toothbrush alone."

"Yeah, and you're buying me a knew one, by the way!" Colin demanded. He had calmed down a little and was now sitting back down on the sofa, nursing the drink he had poured himself. Finn shrugged his shoulders before rolling his eyes.

"Your daddy is a multi-millionaire, I'm sure he can afford to buy you a new toothbrush." At that, Colin's eyes flared, getting up he flew towards both Finn and Logan and aimed a punch at the Australian. However, Finn had already moved out of the way, dodging passed Logan, causing Colin's fist to collide with Logan's face.

"Aagh! What the hell, Colin!" Logan shouted, clutching his face with his hand. He had got him good, right on the eye.

"I'm sorry, man. I was aiming for that jack-off." Colin said, throwing a dirty look Finns way. Finn just sat on the sofa with a great big smile on his face. Logan moved passed Colin and into the bathroom to look in the mirror, surveying the damage. He removed his hand and noticing there was a bruise just under his eye. It was starting to swell.

"Great!" His father would kill him when he showed up with a black eye. Not very professional looking. Colin entered the bathroom, he was holding an ice pack in his hand.

"Here, put this on it." He gave Logan the pack and then noticing the look in his blonde friend's eyes, he backed off and left him to it, tripping over the box of Rory's stuff as he went. "I'm really sorry, Logan."

Logan let out a big sigh. 'Could this night get any worse?'

Placing the last bowl of chips on the coffee table, Rory settled down onto the sofa to begin the first movie of the night. She had decided to take her mother's advice and indulge herself in a Gilmore movie night bonanza. Her story could wait.

She had rented a bunch of movies, including, 'Ghost,' 'The Breakfast Club' and 'Friday The 13th.' With Paris spending the night at Doyle's, she had the place to herself and so, had ordered Indian food and a pizza as well as the other essential junk food requirements. She was wearing her favourite fuzzy pyjamas and her fluffy bunny slippers.

Reaching for the television remote, Rory was about to start the first movie, when there was a knock on the door.

"What the hell?" she mumbled out loud. Getting up from her comfy position on the sofa, she cursed whoever was standing on the other side of her door. Dragging herself over to answer it, she figured it was probably Paris, back after having an argument with Doyle.

"Paris! I thought you were staying over at…Logan!" Rory squealed slightly, as she threw open the door to reveal none other than Logan Huntzberger leaning against her door frame. He was standing there, holding a box full of stuff and wearing a smirk on his face, looking her up and down. She shivered a little under his gaze .

"Hey Ace! Nice bunnies." Rory could feel herself blush as his eyes travelled her body before remembering what she was wearing. Logan was _so _not the guy you wanted to see you while dressed in your non-sexy, kiddie pyjamas and slippers, while having your hair scraped back in a messy pony-tail and little to no make-up on. 'Thank God, I didn't put that face mask on.'

"Logan, what are you doing here?" She asked, trying to change the subject while looking at him closer, she noticed a huge bruise under his eye. "What the hell happened to your face?" Her voice full of concern, she reached out her hand to cup his face instinctively, taking a closer look. Logan just shrugged his shoulders, a little thrown by how worried she seemed, although the feel of her small hand on his face, warmed him.

"Its no big deal. I just got in the way of someone's fist. I'll be okay." Rory narrowed her eyes at him, removing her hand from his face.

"Please tell me that this is not from some angry guy whose girlfriend you slept with!"

Logan smiled for a second although it hurt slightly to do so. "No, this is a gift from Colin. He was aiming for Finn, and I kind of got in the way."

Rory shook her head. Those three were always messing around.

"I should have known those two would have something to do with it."

She looked at his eye again. It was pretty bad. There was quite a bad cut just underneath. To her it looked very painful but Logan was hiding it well.

"Come in, I should have something to clean that cut." Rory told him, gesturing for him to enter. Logan smirked, again wincing at the pain.

"No need Ace. I'm fine." He protested.

"You're not fine, Logan. If you leave that unattended, you'll get an infection and then your eye will pop right out of its socket. You don't want that now, do you?" She told him, in a bubbly yet serious tone. He laughed at her suggestion before following her inside, closing the door behind him. He was still clutching the box.

Rory walked directly into her bedroom to get the first aid box she kept in there. Leaving Logan to take in the scene in the common room. The table was covered with plates and bowls and takeout cartons. He frowned.

"Am I interrupting something?" He was worried that maybe she was expecting company and that he was in the way. Rory re-entered the room and sat down on the sofa, tapping the spot next to her for him to come join her. She placed a damp cloth and a couple of band aids on the table, clearing a space amongst all the food. He walked over to where she had indicated and sat down beside her. "Am I interrupting something, Ace?"

Rory looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"You have enough food here to end world hunger." He smiled at her as she looked at the food on the table.

"What this? This is only half of what we usually have for a normal Gilmore movie night." She told him, while dabbing his cheek gently with the cloth. Logan flinched as it made contact.

"Ouch, Ace that hurts you know." Rory smiled softly at his reaction, while continuing to clean his cut.

"Don't be such a baby!"

She cradled his face in her hand, holding him in position. He watched her as she focused on her task at hand. She had incredibly long eyelashes and a cute little dimple in her chin. Her skin was very pale and soft, he just itched to touch her. His eyes travelled to her mouth. She was biting her lip, whether through nervousness or concentration, he wasn't sure. Her lips looked full and soft. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to kiss her.

'Whoa!! Where did that come from?" he asked himself.

Rory finished cleaning his cut and turned away to get a band aid, as she turned back, she noticed him frown. She peeled the strips of the band aid and moved closer to him to cover his cut. He seemed to hold his breath as she did so and then slowly exhale.

"There you go." She smiled at him. Before placing a soft kiss over the band aid, not knowing where she suddenly got the nerve to do such a thing. "All better!"

As she pulled away, their eyes locked and she felt slightly self-conscious under his intense gaze. They sat like that for a few seconds, before he closed his eyes and turned away.

"So all this food is for you?" He enquired, furrowing his brows, a light smile creeping over his features. The moment had passed.

"Well, me and the bunnies." He laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, its just that most girls that I know would hesitate to finish a salad, let alone all of this."

"Well, I guess I'm not 'most girls'." Logan looked at her as she stole a chip from the bowl, offering him one, to which he declined. His smirk reappeared.

"Nope, you are definitely one of a kind, Ace." Rory could feel herself blush yet again but she was determined not to give in and let him have the final word.

"There is nothing wrong with having a healthy appetite." She told him stubbornly, clutching the bowl of chips to her chest and taking a handful before shoving them in her mouth. Not the most graceful or lady-like way to behave but she didn't care. She wasn't having someone criticising her eating habits. Logan watched in awe, before collapsing in a fit of laughter.

"Absolutely not. But I'm not sure how healthy all of that junk food is Ace." He said, having managed to compose himself. "I'd hate for you to lose that cute, little figure of yours."

She almost choked on a chip when she heard that. He was flirting with her. He had that trademark smirk of his, plastered over his face. She felt herself blush, uncontrollably again. But she wasn't going to melt like she knew he wanted her to. She sat up, putting the half-eaten bowl of chips back onto the coffee table and then glared at him.

"Why are you here again?" Logan noticed her change in demeanour. He had to hand it to her. She certainly was one of a kind. Most other girls whom he openly flirted with, would be putty in his hands by now. But not her. She didn't seem to find the infamous Huntzberger charm irresistible like most others. Not that he was really trying to flirt with her. He wasn't interested in her like that, of course.

"I came for the slumber party. I figured we could braid each others hair and have a pillow fight in our underwear." He told her in a mocking tone. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, no pillow fights here."

"Damn!"

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Rory folded her arms across her chest as she felt his eyes on her. She looked at him. He was smiling back at her. As she gave him her best withering stare, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the box sitting beside him. Her curiosity got the better of her and she sat up straight, facing him.

"So…what's in the box?" She queried, stretching her neck, trying to see passed him. Logan stiffened slightly, remembering why he had come over in the first place.

"Um…" He hesitated, not quite sure what her reaction would be to his answer. "…it's just some of the stuff you left at Colin's place."

She furrowed her brows as he handed her the box over. She looked up at him, slightly confused before peering inside to see what the contents of the box were. There was her favourite blue sweater, which she had been certain her mother had taken, a couple of magazines, two text books, and a black lacy bra among other things. Her face reddened at the thought of Logan having seen the bra. Swallowing her embarrassment, she looked at Logan, searchingly.

"Did Colin ask you to bring this over because I could've come and gotten it." She didn't want to get Logan or anyone involved in the messy side of her break-up. It wasn't fair putting him in the middle like that.

Logan shifted awkwardly in his seat. He looked away, avoiding contact with those big blue eyes of hers.

"Actually, I just saw it sitting there in his apartment and I noticed there was a couple of textbooks in there and I figured, you being you, that you'd need them at some point." He finished, this time fixing his eyes on hers. He was full of sincerity and it touched her to see how considerate he was of her.

"Thank you." She was genuinely moved by his thoughtfulness.

"No problem, Ace."

There was a silent pause between them, when she suddenly remembered something.

"'Moby Dick'!" Rory jumped up from her spot on the sofa, surprising Logan and headed, quickly into her bedroom. Logan watched after her, slightly confused by her outburst and sudden exit. As she returned, she held an old book in her hands which looked vaguely familiar to him. She stood in front of him and excitedly handed him the book. "It's yours right?"

He looked up at her, before accepting the thing she was rather eager for him to have. He furrowed his brows as he realised that it was in fact _his_ copy of 'Moby Dick'. The copy that he never even noticed was missing, until he reached up to feel his inside jacket pocket. That was where he usually kept it. Close to his heart. It was the only gift he had ever received which really meant something to him. His sister had given it to him, not for Christmas or a birthday, but purely as something to inspire him and lift his spirits when his father would frequently dampen them. He was incredibly close to his sister and had always appreciated how much she was there for him.

"It is yours right?" Rory was confused by his silent reaction. She had been sure that the book was his. Logan looked up at her and smiled. He was genuinely grateful to her for returning this to him. He was almost speechless. Logan Huntzberger was never speechless.

"Yeah, Ace. Thank you. I didn't even know I lost it."

"You must have dropped it the other day when we ran into each other outside the newsroom." She told him, happy that he was so appreciative.

"Well, thanks for returning it. It means a lot." He cleared his throat as he spoke, grabbing her hand, gently and gazing up honestly into her eyes. Rory smiled back at him. She felt that tingly sensation again where he held her hand. Her stomach was doing somersaults as she lost herself staring into those big, chocolate, brown eyes of his.

"I should probably get going. Its getting kind of late." He stood up, dropping her hand and sliding the book into his jacket pocket. Rory snapped out of her daze and watched as he made his way to the door. "I'll leave you to your movie night and re-enactment of 'The Last Supper.'" His teasing tone was back.

She was a little disappointed. She didn't want him to leave just yet.

"You know, there is plenty of food here, if your hungry!" Rory offered, she wanted to try and repay him for his sweet gesture and if in doing so, it prolonged his stay, then so be it. She wasn't quite ready to say goodnight just yet. He looked at her, smile in place.

"Nah, Ace. Wish I could but-"

"Hot date?" She asked, trying to mask her disappointment. She found herself hoping the answer was no, which surprised her thoroughly. Logan sighed, not quite noticing the slight change in her demeanour and tone.

"I wish. I'm going to Omaha for a business thing with my dad."

"Sound's like fun." She said, sarcastically. She was aware of how much he and his father did not get along. Rory was suddenly overcome with guilt. While he was heading out for his equivalent of hell, she was silently grateful that he was not meeting up with some tramp.

"So, I'll see you when I get back I guess." Rory nodded, as he opened the door to the common room.

"I'll see you then." She gave him a warm smile, before turning her head back to the sight before her. Just as she did, she heard a faint clicking sound coming from the doorway. Spinning back around, she saw Logan standing, holding his cell phone towards her.

"What are you doing?" She eyed him suspiciously. Logan's smirk grew wider as he looked at the photo he had just taken of her standing in her pyjamas and bunny slippers.

"Just a little something to remember you by." Realisation dawned for Rory.

"You did not just take a picture of me!" She exclaimed, fearing his answer.

"This is one for my private collection." He told her, rather pleased with himself. Rory felt her anger rise as she walked towards him.

"Logan, That is not funny." Standing in front of him, she reached for his phone, but he kept it out of arms length. "You are not keeping a picture of me looking like this."

"What, Ace? I think you look cute. The pyjamas and bunny slippers, big turn on." Rory blushed, but she didn't deviate from her task of retrieving his phone so she could delete whatever image he had of her on it.

"Logan! Give me the phone!" He stood still, holding his cell just above his head. Rory stood on her tip-toes, trying to reach it but with no success. Logan was laughing at her efforts.

"Come on, Ace. You look hot. You gotta help a guy out here. I'm going to be spending the next three days on my own in that lonely hotel room with no company. You gotta give me something to keep me satisfied."

"Logan!" Rory felt her face turn even redder if at all possible. However, by this time she wasn't sure whether it was through embarrassment or anger.

"Don't worry. This is for my eyes only." He tried to stop himself from laughing, but he couldn't help it. The look on her face was priceless.

"You are such a jerk!"

"Yeah and you are incredibly sexy when your angry. I guess I'll just have to remember to piss you off more often." He arched his eyebrows suggestively, only accentuating his devastating smile. Rory rolled her eyes, trying to make out that he wasn't affecting her, while deep down, her body was screaming.

"I'll see you in my dreams, Ace." He told her, his beautiful, brown eyes sparkling. Just like that, he was gone. She frowned, sighing heavily. As she thought over his words, she couldn't help herself. A huge smile grew on her face.

No matter how hard she fought it, she knew deep down that she was falling for Logan Huntzberger. Playboy extraordinaire.


	3. Chapter 3: Facing The Truth

Chapter 3- Facing The Truth

Sitting on the sofa in the place he called his sanctuary, Logan breathed a long sigh of relief. He was relieved to be home. Relieved to be away from his father and the mind-numbingly dull meetings he had had to suffer through for the past three days. Logan had incurred the wrath of Mitchum straight away. After showing up with a cut face and a black eye, he had spent the entire time having to listen to his fathers rants about his sloppy appearance and blatant disrespect for the business or the family reputation. He was sure that him falling asleep during one of the many, many painfully boring meetings he had to attend certainly didn't help their relationship. But having actually shown up and gone along with almost everything his father had asked of him, Logan was fairly sure that would buy him a grace period, where he wouldn't be bothered by Mitchum for a while. He hoped at least.

Loosening his tie and removing his jacket, Logan settled down on to the sofa. He was nursing a glass of Scotch and had his feet resting on the coffee table before him. Taking a sip, he frowned. The trip to Omaha wasn't the only thing on his mind. In fact, it was merely a side note as he couldn't seem to get one particular person out of his mind the entire time he was gone. Pulling out his cell phone, Logan flipped through the menu before arriving at the picture he had been looking at a lot while he was away. His frown disappeared as he came across those big blue eyes and that look of surprise having caught her off guard. She had looked so undeniably cute in those pyjamas and huge bunny slippers and her reaction after realising what he had done. Angry definitely did look good on her. He smiled at the memory before his frown returned.

Rory Gilmore was smart and funny. She had an intelligence to rival anyone and a quick wit which kept him on his toes. She was shy and reserved but was open to taking chances and trying new things, as evidenced best when he convinced her to jump off that scaffolding with him. She was careful and considerate. Colin had mentioned something about her love of pro/con lists when making important decisions. She was passionate and loyal. Determined and focused to succeed. She challenged him, not falling for his charm or giving in to his arrogance. He knew that he could argue and debate with her until he was blue in the face and she would match him every step of the way without fail. She wouldn't just give in or let him have his way because of who he was or how big his trust fund was. Shaking his head, he shut the cell phone over and lay back.

Rory Gilmore was beautiful. She was classic and refined. Delicately understated yet obvious to anyone who could see. Her silky, brown hair and her shining blue orbs stood out from the pale alabaster skin he had so desperately wanted to touch. The smell of vanilla extracts in her hair had haunted him for the past three days and the image of her looking so innocent and vulnerable yet sexy and alluring from that night had had the strangest effect on him. One that he had so desperately tried to ignore.

Logan got up from the sofa and headed towards his bedroom, putting out the lights on his way. He got ready for bed and made his way to the en suite bathroom and finished his nightly routine before bed. Sliding under the covers, his mind returned to his Ace.

He would admit that he was definitely attracted to Rory and had been since the second time they met but he knew right away that she was unlike any of the girls he usually got involved with. He knew that she was special and someone that he didn't want to hurt. However, hearing the news of Rory and Colin dating threw him slightly. He hadn't quite been prepared for some of the feelings that had brought out in him. Instead, deciding to brush them off and continue the way he was. Now that Rory and Colin had broken up in somewhat mysterious circumstances, he had found himself thinking about her again. He found himself returning to the playful flirting and teasing they had enjoyed beforehand. He slipped so easily back into that old routine that he hadn't really considered the actual ramifications of his actions. Logan had no intentions of actually acting on his attraction to Rory. They were friends and that's what he would leave it as. His friendship with Colin meant too much to him to throw away over some girl. Not to mention the fact that he was pretty sure that he wasn't her type. She had never given him any indication that she was even remotely interested in him as more than a friend. When he flirted with her, she'd flirt back but not in an obvious manner. She never threw herself at him or made any type of pass at him. In fact, for the longest time, he was sure that she couldn't stand him but slowly and surely, his charm wore her down to the point where they would share good natured banter and indulge in the occasional flirting session. But nothing would come of it. Of that he was sure.

Rory left her Modern Poetry class in a bit of a daze. It had been a manic morning. Deadline day had arrived and she had been up since 5 o'clock that morning placing the finishing touches to the article she had worked so hard on. She was now on her way to hand it in, but firstly would have to make a detour to purchase her eighth cup of coffee of that day. Walking through the hallowed halls of Yale University, Rory didn't realise that someone was following her or that they had shouted her name a few times. Her mind was quite simply, mush. She needed her fix and wasn't afraid to hurt anyone who stood in her way. As she reached the queue, the rich aroma sucked her in. She could feel her heartbeat racing and her mouth salivating in anticipation as the queue wound down. She was getting closer and closer to her little piece of heaven in a cup. As she reached the front of the queue, she made her order and paid for the steaming hot beverage and walked over to the vacated bench at the other side of the quad. Sitting down, she took a deep breath. Taking in the incredible smell of her coffee before gently sipping the contents, letting out a moan of pleasure as she did so.

Lost in heaven, a dark shadow descended over her. Frowning slightly, she looked up to see a tall, dark-haired, good-looking guy looking back at her. He looked familiar but Rory couldn't quite place him. He smiled down at her. It was a warm smile that made her feel less threatened by his presence.

"Hi." He spoke softly before clearing his throat. "I'm Peter. We have poetry together."

Rory thought for a second, before it finally clicked. She smiled.

"Right! You're 'Snoring Guy'." She told him, remembering him from the week before when he had fallen asleep in class. 'Snoring Guy' laughed, brushing his hand through his slightly longish, chocolaty brown hair.

"I wasn't snoring!" He insisted, still with that crooked smile on his face. Rory laughed as she noticed him blush with embarrassment.

"Professor Harkins actually had to raise his voice during the class because you were snoring so loudly."

"Wow, really?" Rory nodded, taking another sip of coffee.

"Well, that's embarrassing. I'm sorry if I ruined the class. My room mates kind of difficult and I haven't been getting much sleep lately." He explained, seeming genuinely sorry. Rory felt guilty for making him feel bad. She out of anyone could understand what difficult room mates where like.

"Don't worry about it." She brushed off his apology before grabbing her bag and standing up. She had to get to the newsroom and soonish. Peter seemed to realise that she was about to leave and so hurriedly got to the point of why he had approached her.

"Listen, I um…I was wondering if maybe…you would like to go out sometime. With me." He finished, sounding considerably nervous. Rory's eyes widened. She certainly hadn't seen that one coming. She looked at him as he watched for any kind of reaction. Not knowing what to say, Rory took a sip of her now empty coffee cup.

"Um, you mean like on a date?" She asked an obvious question, trying to buy herself time. She didn't know this guy from Adam, But wasn't that the point of dating, getting to know new people. Was she really ready to start dating again? She had only just broken up with Colin and before that there was Dean. There hadn't really been much of a morning period between those two previous relationships. Did she really want to go jump into another one immediately? Wait, what was she talking about. The guy had asked her out on a date, not issued a marriage proposal. As all these thoughts raced through her mind, one thing kept plaguing her. What about Logan?

She had thought about him constantly since the last time she had seen him. That smirk of his had haunted her dreams but he was Logan Huntzberger. He had a hundred girls on speed dial. What did he need little old Rory Gilmore for?

"Rory?" Peter's voice pulled her back from her thoughts. She looked up at him before sighing.

"I…I cant. I'm sorry. I just got out of a relationship and I'm really not ready to start dating again." Rory told him, feeling evermore guilty as she saw the disappointment in his face. She wasn't lying to him, she just left out the part about her being stupid enough to think that Yale's biggest playboy would ever give her much more than a side ways glance.

"Oh. Okay. I understand." He said, trying to mask how he really felt. Just as he finished, Rory noticed Paris heading in her direction with that permanent scowl attached to her face. Looking back at Peter, she noticed him sigh dejectedly.

"Well, I should probably get going. I have class so…" An awkward pause.

"Okay." Rory smiled softly, reaching out to touch his arm affectionately. Paris noticed her action and looked at Peter, frowning as he walked away.

"What the hell is wrong with him? Did his puppy die?" She asked bluntly. Rory rolled her eyes before grabbing her arm and pulling her friend away.

"No Paris." Rory replied, dumping her coffee cup in the trash. "He just asked me out."

"Then why was he so unhappy unless he did it on a dare and was hoping you'd say no." Paris wondered as they both made their way to the newsroom. Rory frowned.

"I did say no." She told her, reaching into her bag to make sure she had her disc with her. Paris stopped short in the middle of the hallway causing the two girls walking behind them to bump into her. Paris sent an angry glare in their direction as they hurried passed them.

"Idiots!" She said under her breath. Then looking at Rory, she furrowed her brows. "Why did you turn him down? Did he have bad breath or something?"

Rory shrugged her shoulders. There was no way she was going to tell Paris that the reason she turned down the nice, cute guy was because she was holding a candle for a certain blonde haired, blue eyed society brat that Paris definitely wouldn't approve of.

"I just, I'm taking a boy break." She told her defiantly, as they entered the newsroom. Paris looked at her sceptically as she sat down at her desk.

"Please tell me you are not still hung up on McCrae?"

"No Paris. Colin and I are ancient history." Rory insisted, telling the truth. They were. She hadn't spoken to Colin since he had unceremoniously dumped her the week before. He hadn't given her an explanation. Only that he thought it was best for both of them. Whatever that meant.

"So, if you are so over him, then why have you spent the last three days pining?" Paris wanted to know. Rory frowned. She hadn't been pining. She definitely hadn't been pining over Colin. If anything, she had spent the last three days trying to figure out what the hell was going on between her and Logan. There were some definite sparks between the two at her dorm room the other night. She was absolutely sure that he could feel it too.

"Rory!" Paris yelled trying to regain her friends attention. Rory rolled her eyes.

"I'm not pining for Colin, Paris. I'm fine." Rory explained but she could tell that Paris didn't believe her.

"So get back on that horse." At that, Paris moved away towards Doyle's desk leaving Rory to her thoughts. Unconsciously, she had already turned on her computer and began skimming through her article searching for anything that needed fixing. She was so fully immersed in what she was doing that she didn't notice him enter the room.

Logan had been looking forward to going to the newsroom all morning. Nothing gave him more satisfaction than to wipe that smug look off Doyle's face. He couldn't wait to see his expression when he handed in his article. He had intended to just arrogantly swagger up to his desk and drop the disc and then leave. However as he arrived at the doorway, he stopped in his tracks when he saw her sitting at her desk. He couldn't deny the little smile that crept over his features as he took in her appearance. She looked good. Her curly brown hair was tied back out of her face and she wore a figure-hugging blue shirt which brought out the blue in her eyes. She was fully focused on the screen of her computer and hadn't noticed him staring at her. For some reason, he just couldn't look away. She was stunning.

His smile soon turned into a frown as he realised what he was doing. He was checking her out. Ace. His Ace. Colin's ex-girlfriend. Logan reminded himself that he wasn't interested in Rory like that. That they were purely platonic friends and nothing more. He pulled his eyes away from her and searched the room for the bane of his college existence. He noticed Doyle deep in conversation with Paris and with one last look at Rory, he sighed.

"Huntzberger!" Doyle questioned sceptically as he noticed the tall blonde standing at the door. "Is that really you?"

Logan noticed everyone turn their focus towards him, including Rory and for possibly the first time in his life, he wasn't happy to be the centre of attention. He felt eyes burning into the back of his head as he casually strolled into the newsroom and over to Doyle's desk. Passing by Rory on his way. He didn't look at her. He remained focused on the task at hand.

"There you go Doyle. I told you, I'm a man of my word." Logan smirked, dropping the disc onto his desk. Doyle's mouth dropped open and Logan could feel his chest swell with pride at rendering the little kiss-ass speechless.

"This is your article?" Doyle asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"Its all on there." He assured him, pointing to the disc.

"I'm…I'm speechless!" Doyle was genuinely lost for words. He never in a million years expected Logan to actually do the article when he assigned it to him. Logan shrugged.

"Yeah, well…I have to go take a nap after all that hard work." He joked, folding his arms over his chest. "It really takes it out of you. Apparently, I've been avoiding it for a reason."

"This isn't a joke?" Doyle still couldn't take it in. "If I put this disc into my computer, there will be an actual piece of writing by you?"

Rory, who was looking on with the rest of the newsroom, found herself smiling. She felt a strong sense of pride for Logan having finally silenced Doyle.

"Yes Doyle. I put it through the spell check and everything." Logan was starting to get annoyed now. It wasn't that big of a deal that he had written something for the paper. He wrote all the time. He just didn't show it to anyone.

"Huh!" Doyle loaded the disc onto his computer. "Well what do you know!"

"Can I go now please?" Pleaded Logan, he was already running late.

"Um yeah, sure. Get out of here." Doyle replied, not really paying attention to anything other than reading what Logan had written. Logan sighed as he turned away, relieved to be finally getting out of there. It was something about newsrooms that just seemed to bore him to tears. As he walked towards Rory's desk, he caught her eye and she smiled back at him.

"Ace, how's it going?" He nodded not stopping to hear her response. Rory was about to answer when she heard a female voice call out to him.

"Hey Logan, you coming or what?" A tall, leggy blonde stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips. She had on a very revealingly tight shirt and a barely there mini-skirt. Quite simply, not very much was left up to the imagination. Just the way Logan liked it, she thought to herself. She sighed as she watched the girl throw her arms around him and lead him away to only God knows where. What was she thinking? Yeah, like Logan Huntzberger would really be interested in someone like her when he had it offered to him on a plate by girls like Blondie McBlonderson. Rory returned to her computer and saved all the changes she had made to her article before heading over to give her work to Doyle.

"This is actually really good!!" Doyle stated rather incredulously as he finished reading Logan's article.

Over the last couple of days a lot of things had become glaringly obvious to Rory Gilmore. For instance, her mother had no respect for time. She had been woken up by Lorelai calling her cell phone early every morning it seemed. Not for any particular reason but just to catch up. Yes, her mother wanted to catch up at 7 o'clock in the morning and talk about what kind of breakfast cereal she was going to have and to tell her about Kirk's new crazy ideas. By the time Saturday had arrived, the only thing Rory wanted to catch up on was her sleep and so had resorted to switching off her phone to do so.

Another thing which had become very obvious was that Paris, her ever faithful room mate and friend had officially gone insane. It seemed that Paris had decided it was time to help Rory move on and so she had been, without her permission, setting her up on a series of blind dates. The first had occurred on the Wednesday when she had dragged her out to the pub so they could both meet some new people. Only for Doyle to show up with his cousin Oliver. Doyle and Paris then departed for the night, leaving Rory alone with Oliver who proceeded to entertain/freak her out by telling her about his lizard collection. The next day, Paris had pestered some guy into showing up outside Rory's philosophy class with a cup of coffee and plans to take her out for the evening. Rory however had managed to think quickly and explained that she wouldn't be able to join him as she had to attend to her sick mother, who had spookily phoned her just as she was cornered. On the Friday night, Rory returned from the library to find some guy who looked like he was twelve years old, sitting outside her dorm room holding a very lovely bunch of flowers. His name was Adam and he was there to take her to the movies. Rory however was very grateful that it was in fact Friday and that meant an evening of listening to her grand parents bitch and complain about each other. That was something she was very much looking forward to as it meant she could escape from the 'Milky bar kid'.

One more thing which had become only too painfully obvious for Rory was that she was a fool. A deluded and idiotic fool for thinking that Logan Huntzberger ever had any interest in her other than purely as a friend. She hadn't spoken to him at any great length since he had returned from Omaha. Anytime she had seen him, he generally walked the other way or was distracted by some tramp who had her tongue in his ear. Not that she was jealous. She needed Logan Huntzberger like a hole in the head. Right?

The last realisation for Rory was that humiliation was not something she enjoyed but it was something that she endured when she had decided to see if Peter, the guy from her poetry class was still interested in that date. Taking the leap, she had cornered him in the dining hall and asked him if the offer still stood. He honestly seemed quite surprised but thankfully didn't prolong the agony as he agreed pretty much within thirty seconds and invited her to join him for lunch. Which she accepted. Discovering that Peter was indeed a nice guy and not the axe-murderer that she feared.

So here Rory was, standing in the same spot in front of the mirror as she had been for the last thirty minutes. She was trying to decide which jacket to wear and she wasn't having much success. It had already taken her half the day just to figure out whether to wear pants or a skirt. She had finally agreed on a denim skirt with knee length boots and a simple yet not too revealing blue button-up shirt with a slightly decorated vest top underneath to cover her modesty. They had arranged for Peter to pick her up at 8 o'clock and it was now fast approaching. She felt nervous. She felt really nervous. Not even the calming words of her mother had helped her relax. Aside from the nervousness, Rory felt something gnawing away at the back of her mind. It was something she couldn't quite put her finger on but it was the same something she felt when she was with Colin. But for tonight, it would be ignored. Rory was determined to have a good time even if it killed her. At that thought, there was a knock at the door. Readjusting her outfit and grabbing her purse, she headed for the door. Opening it, she was greeted by a rather handsome Peter. His hair was slicked back out of his face which allowed her a better view of his bright brown eyes and warm smile. She smiled back at him.

"Hey, you look great." He managed as he took in her appearance. His eyes travelled over her making her blush.

"Thanks. You too." He did. He was definitely handsome in his black pants and white shirt. Rory felt her nerves disappear and a sense of calm wash over her. She had a good feeling about tonight.

"Ready to go?" He asked, helping her slip her jacket on.

"Absolutely!"

The weekend had finally arrived and for Logan, having already lost three days of precious partying time, he was determined to make up for it. He wanted to go out, get drunk, have fun and get laid and not necessarily in that order. This was his senior year at Yale and he could feel the noose tightening around his neck and it was still only November. He had received numerous phone calls from his father over the past couple of days informing him of upcoming events his attendance would be mandatory for. Apparently, the last trip had been so successful that Mitchum thought it was time for Logan to start being more hands on and more involved. In other words, Logan's life as he knew it was officially coming to an end and so he would make the most of the precious time he had left to be irresponsible and reckless and have as much fun as he possibly could, starting with tonight. That was if Finn could actually ever be ready on time.

"Finn, are you still alive in there?" Logan yelled through to his friend as he continued flicking through the numerous channels on television. He had been waiting for almost an hour as Finn had to 'beautify' himself as he put it. In other words he couldn't decide what to wear. Logan shook his head. If he didn't know better, he would swear that Finn was a girl.

"I'll be out in a moment."

"You said that twenty minutes ago!"

"Hey, it takes time to look this good." Finn told him as he entered the room. Logan rolled his eyes before frowning.

"Finn, you look exactly the same as you did when you went in there."

"Well obviously you need glasses because I look hot, mate!" Finn replied, slightly offended by Logan's remarks. Logan just laughed.

"So can we go then?" Logan jumped up from his spot on the sofa, switching off the television.

"Sure thing." Finn frowned as he brushed his hands over his empty shirt pocket. "Do you know where my cell phone is mate?" Logan sighed, sitting back down on the sofa.

"Nope." Finn began searching for his missing phone. He bent down to look under the coffee table with no success.

"But I'm expecting a call from a fiery red-head. I must have my phone!" He whined, stamping his foot in frustration like a five year old. He looked behind the television and under his pile of books on his desk. Logan pulled his own cell phone from his jacket pocket and threw it to him.

"Use this." Finn looked at him confused.

"But, she doesn't know your number, does she?" Logan shook his head in frustration.

"No, use my phone to call your phone and then when you hear it ringing, you can figure out where it is." He explained figuring it was a really obvious idea to anyone other than Finn.

"Genius! Your not just a pretty face, are you mate?" Finn exclaimed before flipping through the menu looking for the phone book to find his number. However he stumbled over something quite unexpected.

"Um Logan? Why do you have a picture of Rory in your phone, dressed in her pyjamas?" Finn looked quizzically at his friend. Logan smiled awkwardly, trying to come up with a suitable response without making it look like something it wasn't.

"It was a joke." He shrugged casually.

"A joke?" Finn asked furrowing his brows. "So you two aren't having some kind of kinky affair.?"

"Ah, no Finn." Logan smiled. "I took the picture when I was over at her place, returning her stuff. I couldn't resist."

"She does look kind of hot." Finn stated, looking at the picture closely before sighing. "Its just a pity she doesn't have red hair. Do you think she'd be willing to dye her hair for me?"

Logan shrugged, walking over to the mirror and began messing up his already messy hair while Finn finally found his number in Logan's cell phone. Finn looked at Logan, shaking his head.

"You certainly do have a lot of numbers in here, Huntzberger!" He said, referring to the many female's phone numbers he kept in his phone book. Logan smiled as he finished fixing his hair.

"What can I say? I'm a popular guy!"

As he spoke, a slightly muffled song began playing.

"Ssh!" Finn exclaimed trying to follow the sound coming from the sofa. "Aha!" He said as he retrieved the phone which had been stuffed under one of the couch cushions. Logan rolled his eyes as he heard the ringtone Finn had assigned him. It was 'Mr Lover man'.

"Finn, you have got to change that ringtone!"

"What?" He asked innocently. "I think given the amount of numbers you have in your cell phone, 'Mr Lover man' is a very appropriate choice for you."

"Whatever! Can we go now?" Logan was getting tired dealing with Finn's antics. He just wanted to go to the pub and get drunk.

"Absolutely. Lets go!"

"So your last name is seriously Parker?" Rory couldn't believe what he was telling her.

"Yep!" Peter responded, laughing at her expression.

"Peter Parker? As in 'Spiderman'?"

"Yep!" Rory laughed, taking a sip of her drink.

"I cant believe I'm on a date with 'Spiderman'. Wait 'til my mom hears about this."

The date had been going quite well. She was having fun. A lot of fun. He was definitely a nice guy and the fact that he was a superhero made it all the better.

"I actually went through a phase when I was about eight, where I thought I _was_ 'Spiderman'." He explained, brushing his hair out of his face. " My brother used to collect the comics and I used to think they were actually about me." Rory laughed at his confession as his face reddened with embarrassment.

"I broke my arm trying to climb up the side of the house."

"No!" Rory exclaimed, before bursting into a fit of hysterics. Peter tried to hold his own laughter back.

"Hey! Its not funny. I had to wear a cast on my arm for a month." He complained just making Rory laugh even harder. Soon, Peter joined her and the pair sat at the table almost in tears picturing the scene. They were cut off by his cell phone ringing. Peter pulled it out from his jacket pocket.

"Sorry. I should take this." He apologised while Rory tried to calm herself down. She nodded before getting up from her stool and gesturing towards the bathroom.

On her way back from the ladies, Rory noticed Peter still on the phone talking to whoever it was rather animatedly. She decided to give him a few more minutes of privacy and went over to the bar to get them more drinks. As she approached the bar, she heard a familiar Australian accent placing his order and smiled. It was Finn.

"Hey Finn!"

Finn had been standing at the bar trying to get served for the last ten minutes with not much success. Finally, having gained the bartender's attention he placed his order. As he did so, he heard a voice speak to him from behind. He swirled around to see Rory standing, looking absolutely ravishing. He smiled before enveloping her in a big bear hug.

"Rory, love! Its been so long since I last laid eyes on that beautiful face of yours. Where have you been hiding?" He had always liked Rory. Not in a sexual way, although he thought she was hot. He saw her more as a little sister.

"I've been around." She smiled. She always had a tendency to smile whenever Finn was around. Usually because he was doing something stupid.

"You on your own?" He questioned, placing his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him.

"Um actually, no. I'm here on a date." She stated, happily.

"Really?" Finn looked around them to see who her date was. "Are you on a date with the invisible man?"

Rory laughed at her wacky friend. He really did march to the beat of his own drummer.

"No Finn. He's over there at the table. I was just heading back from the ladies." Finn looked over to where she had indicated to see a dark-haired, slightly muscular guy sitting, talking on his phone. He furrowed his brows.

"Do you want your uncle Finn to have a word with him? Make sure he doesn't try anything? He asked in a protective tone. Rory rolled her eyes.

"No, that's okay Finn. He's been the perfect gentleman so far." Finn narrowed his eyes in the direction of Rory's date, glaring at him.

"Yeah. So far. Wait until he walks you home and tries to slip you the tongue and maybe something else." Finn practically growled. He knew what guys were like. He was like that and he didn't want to see his friend get hurt. Rory just sighed, although touched by his concern.

"Finn, stop. I'm a big girl. I can handle it." She assured him.

"Handle what?" A familiar voice asked from behind them. Rory spun around to see the devilishly handsome, blonde haired boy, who had been haunting her dreams looking back at her. She smiled despite herself.

"Pretty boy over there." Finn explained to Logan, gesturing towards Peter. "I was just offering to have a quiet word with Rory's date." At the mention of the word 'date', Logan raised his eyebrows. He looked at Rory.

"Your on a date?" He asked sceptically. Rory, for some reason felt guilty as his big brown eyes looked down at her. She was sure she saw the slightest glimmer of hurt there. Or maybe she was just imagining it. Yes, she was definitely just imagining it.

"Yes I know, big shocker right?" She exclaimed, sighing. Wishing they could change the subject. However, that wouldn't be possible as Peter joined them at the bar.

"Hey there you are!" He said, raising his voice so as to be heard over the din. He smiled at Logan and Finn as the latter straightened up, puffing out his chest, giving his sternest glare. Finn by this point was getting a little too carried away with the whole overprotective friend act. Logan was sure he heard his Australian friend growl. He watched on as Rory smiled back at her date.

"Sorry, got a little sidetracked." She explained, indicating the two guys by her side. "These are some friends of mine. Logan and Finn." Rory introduced them. "This is Peter Parker. My date."

"Hi, nice to meet you." Peter said politely. Logan caught Rory's eye as he shook hands with him. He had to admit that seeing Rory out on a date felt kind of strange. He wasn't sure whether it was out of loyalty to Colin, her ex or because, for the last week, she was pretty much all he could really think about.

Finn just looked Peter up and down before his name registered.

"Peter Parker eh? As in Spiderman?" He queried, still glaring at Rory's date. Peter laughed lightly.

"I get that a lot. But so far I haven't discovered the ability to shoot spider webs from my wrists or climb buildings." He told him causing Rory to laugh out loud again, remembering the story he had told her before. Logan's eyes remained on Rory as she continued giggling at whatever little in joke they had shared. He noticed that it was a completely sincere laugh. She liked this guy. He could tell. She hadn't stopped smiling since he came over.

"Listen Rory…" Peter spoke, gently pulling her to the side. "I just got off the phone with my room mates girlfriend. He's pretty wasted. Their at the hospital so I'm going to have to head out now."

"Oh! Is everything okay?" She asked genuinely concerned. Peter smiled before grabbing her hand.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. But I have to go." He kissed her on the cheek before nodding goodbye to Logan and Finn. "I'll call you!"

Rory looked on, disappointed as he made his way through the crowd of people. She heard Finn mutter something under his breath. Rory frowned, turning to them both.

"Okay, so do I have something on my face? Do I look hideous or something?" Rory wanted to know. Logan and Finn just stared back at her in bewilderment at her question.

"Um no. Why do you ask, love?" Finn wondered taking a drink from his glass.

"Well, because that was the code right?" Rory replied, looking at them both intently. They just stared blankly back at her, not knowing what she was talking about. Rory sighed in frustration.

"Come on, the room mate thing. Its classic." Silence descended as they still weren't following her. Rory rolled her eyes. "When a dates not going so well, you get one of your friends to call you so you can make up an excuse to leave. I'm pretty sure you two must have used it at some point."

Logan finally understood what she was talking about and immediately felt bad for her. She didn't deserve to be in that position. He couldn't possibly understand why any guy would need to use that old trick whilst on a date with her unless they were severely idiotic.

"Ace, maybe he really had to go help his friend." Logan tried to make her feel better, while resisting the urge to go after Peter and punch him for making her feel crappy. She didn't deserve to be treated like that.

"Yeah right." She mumbled sarcastically. He could see how upset she was and more than anything he wanted to reach out and give her a big hug, but he didn't.

"Why would anyone want an excuse to get away from you?"

"You tell me?" Rory said in a tiny voice. His heart broke for her. He really wanted to go kick that guys ass now.

"Ace come on." Logan draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her close. Unconsciously, she rested her head on his shoulder, allowing him to catch the familiar scent of vanilla from before. "Forget about 'Spiderman'. If he cant see how amazing you are, then that's his loss."

"Exactly!" Finn echoed Logan's sentiments. "Do you want me to go kick his ass love? Because I will."

Rory laughed slightly before suddenly realising how close she was to Logan. She felt her stomach do somersaults at the close proximity. She felt safe and warm with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She wanted to stay there forever. However, not even Logan could rid her mind of the fact that she had just been ditched half way through a date. Feeling slightly humiliated, she decided the best thing was to go home, eat ice cream and call her mother. Lorelai would know what to say to make her feel better.

"I'm just going to head home." She declared in a rather resigned tone. Logan and Finn looked at each other before looking back at Rory.

"Oh you're not going anywhere little miss." Finn told her before walking away.

"Come on Ace. Stay. Hang out with us. You'll have fun, I promise." Logan tried to convince her but Rory was hesitant. She looked over to where Finn had gone, noticing the group of people there. She shook her head, pulling away from his grasp.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm just going to go." Logan furrowed his brows following her gaze before looking at her rather worried face. Then it dawned on him.

"Colin's not here." He assured her, understanding that she probably didn't want to hang out with the guy who just dumped her after the night she had already. Rory looked at him searchingly, biting her lip. She looked so cute. He couldn't help himself from smiling.

"Come on Ace. Stay ! Keep me company."

"Are you sure?" Logan smirked.

"Lets get you a drink."

Rory had spent most of the night sitting next to Logan, Finn, Steph, Robert, Seth, Rosemary and Juliet as they entertained her with stories of Finn and all the crazy things they had gotten up to over the years. She had been made to feel at home amongst the group she had spent so much time with whilst dating Colin. There was no awkwardness or ill feeling. She felt completely relaxed in their company. Although, that may have had something to do with the fact that Finn had been supplying her with a steady stream of alcohol all night. That was probably also the reason for her forgetting about her disastrous date earlier that night, for which she was grateful.

However, as the evening wore on, their little group had grown to include a few members of Logan's fan club. In the beginning, Logan had done everything to stave them off but the later it got, the drunker he had gotten and soon was becoming very friendly with the very willing blonde who had taken Rory's place by his side.

Rory, having seen enough, had taken her place at the bar. She really couldn't bare to watch as they canoodled in the corner but from her position at the bar, she couldn't help herself from watching them. Nursing her drink, she sighed to herself before glaring in Logan's direction.

"So, you've finally figured it out, huh?" Finn asked as he sat down on the stool beside her. She turned to see him holding a glass of some type of pink liquid. Rory furrowed her brows, not knowing what he was talking about.

"What?" Finn smiled taking a sip of his drink.

"That you were with the wrong friend." He nodded in the direction of Logan, who was being entertained by the blonde who was now perched on his lap with her hand running through his hair. Rory frowned as she noticed Logan's hand caressing the girls thigh. She shook her head returning her attention to Finn.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rory said stubbornly, finishing off her drink signalling to the bartender for another. Finn laughed.

"Sure you do love. That's why you've been drawing them daggers all night."

Rory looked back at the two blondes and rolled her eyes in disgust as the girl had her tongue in his ear and Logan's hand, well Logan's hand had disappeared completely.

"Do they have to be so obvious. Cant they wait 'til they get home. I really don't need to see that. I'm going to throw up." She ranted. A mixture of both jealousy and alcohol taking effect.

"Well-"

"I mean what does he even see in her. I'm pretty sure her I.Q is about equal to my shoe size. " She cut him off, apparently not finished yet.

"I don't think its her I.Q that he's interested in Rory!" Finn stated, causing Rory to glare at him.

"Look don't take it personally. You know he doesn't like her the same way he likes you!" Rory laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. Clearly he didn't like her the way he liked the blonde girl. That was the problem.

"Obviously. To him I'm just Rory Gilmore, bookworm and banter buddy."

"I think you're a little more than that love." Finn assured her but she didn't believe him.

"Oh really?" Finn sighed at her naivety. He turned around to face her head on adopting a serious stance and tone for possibly the first time in his life.

"Rory, Logan likes you. Not just as a friend. He's had a thing for you since he first met you." Rory snorted very un-lady like.

"I find that hard to believe, considering he couldn't even remember meeting me the first time." She retorted, remembering that time outside her dorm room. Finn relented.

"Okay, maybe not the first time you met but you definitely left an impression the second time. You're all he talked about for days.

"Yeah right!"

"And when you bawled him out for that prank we pulled, he was devastated. He thought you hated him." He pointed out.

"I did. I still haven't fully forgiven you for your part in that."

"Oh, you know you cant stay mad at Finn." He replied with a big cheesy grin on his face. Rory smiled before furrowing her brows.

"Why do you always refer to yourself in the third person and why aren't you more drunk? You're usually wasted by this time of night." Finn shrugged.

"It's these 'Pink Nipples'. I don't think theres much alcohol in them." Rory took the glass from him. She cautiously sniffed the contents and then took a sip. As she tasted exactly how strong it was, she started coughing.

"Finn! That's at least 95 alcohol." She exclaimed, giving him the glass back, making a face as the sour taste of the drink began to take over.

"Then that's not enough. Barkeep! Another one of these and make it 100 alcohol and one for the lovely lady here!"

Rory started to protest but then heard a high pitched squeal coming from Logan's direction. Turning around, she saw Logan leading the girl he had been all over all night, away to God only knows where to do God only knows what. She turned back to the Bartender, lifting the drink Finn had ordered for her. Sighing she downed the drink feeling her throat burn in the process.

"Keep them coming!"

"Mm Logan!" The girl moaned as he continued nibbling on her collarbone. Her hands were pulling at his clothes, trying to undress him. Logan was on autopilot. As soon as they had left the pub, she was on him. She had dragged him into the alley next door and immediately gone to work on trying to have as much of Logan Huntzberger as she could get her hands on. Not that he was an unwilling slave. His body reacted to her the way it was supposed to. He kissed her back just as ferociously as she kissed him. The buzz from the alcohol made sure he enjoyed every moment of what she was doing to him but in the back of his mind, something didn't feel right. She didn't feel right. This, in the back of an alley with some girl whose name he couldn't even remember, didn't feel right.

He felt her fingers unbutton his shirt and he kissed her with a passion, trying to shake out any other thoughts. But as he did, an image ran through his mind. Those big blue eyes and that sweet as hell smile were all he could think about. He imagined he was kissing her. He imagined that she was the one who was placing light kisses over his chest, biting and sucking. He imagined that she was the one whose hands were currently unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants, before returning to devour him with her kisses.

"Rory!" He moaned, loving the feel of her luscious lips on his. Then it stopped. He opened his eyes to see the blonde from earlier standing before him with a rather angry expression on her face. 'Shit!' he thought to himself.

"Whose Rory?" The angry blonde wanted to know. Logan ran his hand though his messy hair and sighed. He started zipping up his pants and buttoning his shirt. He looked at the girl still unable to remember her name.

"I'm really sorry. I cant do this. " At that he turned around and headed back to the pub, leaving the blonde standing with her jaw on the ground.

Back inside, he made sure he looked presentable before rejoining the others. Straightening out his clothes he walked over to the bar and ordered another drink. Turning around, he leaned against the bar, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. He couldn't see her anywhere. As concern started to take over, he spotted her dancing with some guy. Moving closer, he saw that it was Robert whom she was dancing with and dancing rather provocatively, he might add. Eventually he reached the pair, tapping Robert on the shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" He asked, Rory looked up at him and frowned. Robert didn't look too happy to see him either.

"Actually we were kind of in the middle of something so…" Robert responded with a smug look on his face that made Logan want to kill him.

"So continue it some other time." Logan told him firmly, trying to make it glaringly obvious to Robert that he should now leave for his own good.

"Logan, stop. Why don't you go find your little friend from earlier, I'm sure she's lost without you." Rory said sternly, although due to the amount of alcohol she had had, her speech was slightly slurred. Logan looked at Rory and furrowed his brows. He could see how wasted she was, he was pretty sure that Robert was holding her up. He definitely wasn't going to leave her with him. He was a slime ball and would only try and take advantage of her in her drunken state.

"Lets go." He said, pulling her from Robert's arms into his. She fell into him slightly as she lost her balance.

"Logan! Let go. Leave me alone!" She exclaimed, trying to push him away but he was not for budging. Robert was about to protest when Logan glared at him threateningly. Holding his hands up, he took a step backwards.

"Hey. She's all yours man!"

Logan managed to manoeuvre Rory so that she was leaning into his side and began pulling her along towards the exit much to her protestations.

"Logan!" She shouted, stumbling alongside him. "Logan let me go. I want to stay."

"Yeah well its time to go home and get some sleep Ace."

"I 'm not tired." She said stubbornly. Logan sighed while readjusting his grip on her.

"You will be."

He had eventually managed to get her back to her dorm and had propped her up against the wall as she drunkenly searched through her bag, trying to find her keys.

"I cant… Keys where are you…I cant find them." Logan smiled. Even when she was drunk, she was still unbelievably cute.

"Logan, my keys are missing. I think the key fairy stole them." She told him in all seriousness. Logan laughed before taking her purse from her and looked through it himself. Yep, her keys were definitely not there. She sighed a heavy sigh sliding down the wall so she was sitting on the floor.

"Is Paris home?" He asked, he really didn't want to face the wrath of Paris Geller if he had to wake her up at this time of night.

"No, Paris is with Doyle. Her boyfriend. At least I think he's her boyfriend. They have an awful lot of sex for people who aren't really together." She rambled on as she closed her eyes, deciding that the hallway was where she was going to sleep tonight. Logan noticed this and knew that he couldn't leave her here.

"No way Ace. You are not crashing here. Get up." He tried to pull her to her feet but she wasn't for budging.

"Ace, come on a little help here." Rory just moaned as he eventually got her to her feet. He pulled her against him to help her stand but she just rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Logan sighed as he realised how hard it was going to be trying to get her to walk back to his apartment. So he decided that he would just have to carry her. He pulled her tight against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and then bent down to sweep her legs up. Rory tightened her grip around his neck and Logan turned them around, heading back the way they came.

It had taken almost thirty minutes to get from her dorm to his apartment. A journey which would usually only take about half that but under different circumstances.

He had managed to get her into his building and onto the elevator, thankfully there wasn't too many people around so he didn't have to deal with any funny looks. Finally reaching his floor, he struggled along the hall with a very much sleeping Rory in his arms. As they approached the door, he had to try and get his keys from his pocket which took some doing but eventually he managed to get the door open and closed all the while not letting Rory fall. It was a skill he had mastered after many years of friendship with Finn, Colin and Steph. How to get your drunk friend home without dropping them on their heads.

He manoeuvred them both into his bedroom, where he proceeded to gently place her on the bed without waking her. Logan sat at the edge of the bed just watching her as she slept so peacefully, letting the feeling return to his now heavy arms. He noticed the long boots she was wearing and frowned. He was pretty sure they wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep in. So he decided to unzip them and take them off. As he slid each one off, he noticed how long her legs were. His hand gently grazed her soft skin and he felt his own skin tingle. Closing his eyes he tried to rid himself of the image of those long legs of hers wrapped around him.

He leaned over her, breathing in her scent in the process and gently shook her, trying to wake her. Rory just moaned and wriggled around a bit. Logan smiled.

"Ace, wake up." He whispered into her ear. She just swatted him away with her hand. Logan laughed at her behaviour. "Come on Ace."

Eventually, she opened her eyes as he got up and went over to his closet to get something for her to wear. He returned with some sweats of his and placed them on the bed beside her. Rory yawned as she brushed her face.

"Too tired. Sleep." She mumbled causing him to laugh.

"Ace you cant sleep in those clothes." He told her softly, she was too cute when she was sleepy. "You can wear some of mine." Rory just moaned in response. Logan sighed.

"Fine, I'll just undress you by myself. I hope your not going commando Ace." He declared as he began undoing her belt. Rory yawned again before opening her eyes to see Logan undressing her.

"Logan!" She yelped, sitting up quickly. A little too quickly. She felt rather woozy and so lay back down. "Logan, what do you think you're doing?"

Logan smirked as she suddenly became very awake. He had managed to loosen her belt and was about to unbutton her skirt when her hand flew down to stop him. She looked at him, her eyes wide open now.

"I can manage thanks." Logan moved his hand away as she tried to get the button out of the whole but not with much success. Her co-ordination wasn't at its peak. "I cant…"

Logan smiled as he helped her with her task. He then pulled her up and helped her unbutton and remove her shirt. She still had her vest top on so he raised her arms above her head and helped her put on his long sleeved shirt over it. He pulled the shirt all the way down and lay her back on the bed. She lifted her hips to allow him to pull it over her. The shirt was long enough on her that it almost reached her knees. Rory then lifted her hips again as she slid down her skirt, her modesty intact. As she did so, they both locked eyes as he watched her. He had never seen anything as sexy in his life as watching her undress. She was careful not to let him see anything but she looked incredible. He felt himself harden a little as this beautiful creature lay on his bed. He had never been so turned on by a fully clothed girl before in his life until now. His breathing deepened a little and he could feel his heart rate quicken.

Rory watched Logan as his eyes travelled over her body. She could still feel the alcohol in her system and it gave her a little more confidence than usual but she still felt nervous. She bit her lip as she lay on his bed, wearing only his shirt. She felt slightly vulnerable but at the same time, safe in his presence. As the silence engulfed them, she could feel the tension build. As his eyes reached hers, she was slightly taken aback by how intense his gaze was. His brown eyes were now two darkened pools of lust and it scared her a little. It scared her a lot. But what scared her more was how much she reciprocated those feelings.

"Logan!" She whispered, neither taking their eyes off each other. Logan sighed as he inched closer towards her. He felt like he was being pulled towards her by some kind of invisible force. He was helpless to stop it. He wanted her. He wanted to breath her in, taste her, feel her soft skin against his. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. He hovered above her, both their pulses racing. His face was inches from hers and as he slowly leaned down to meet her lips with his, his cell phone rang.

The sound of the ringing startled hem both out of their daze and Logan pulled away to answer the phone. It was Colin. Logan looked at her and then left the room. Rory let go of the breath she didn't realise she had been holding and reached for the sweat pants Logan had given her to wear. She quickly pulled them on and slid under the covers. She lay there with a million things running through her mind. Like how close she had been to kissing Logan Huntzberger. His warm breath on her face. Her stomach was doing somersaults and her skin was tingling. She pulled the covers over her head and shut her eyes wishing that a giant hole would appear and suck her in. She still felt a little drunk and so decided that she was going to go to sleep or at least pretend she was asleep when Logan returned. Whatever embarrassing and awkward encounter was before them, she wanted to postpone it for as long as possible.

She heard the door creek open and Logan re-enter the room. Rory stuck to her plan. She closed her eyes and pretended to be fast asleep.

"Ace?" Logan came closer to the bed but saw she was asleep. He sighed a little relieved and then leaned down to brush the hair from her face placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Ace." He left the room, closing the door behind him. Rory, hearing the click, opened her eyes and sighed.

"Goodnight, Logan."


	4. Chapter 4: No Danger There

Chapter Four - No Danger There.

A hangover! Is there anything worse than the after effects of a night spent drinking copious amounts of alcohol? Rory was pretty sure the answer was 'no'. She had been lying in her bed, her eyes closed, desperate not to let in any light as morning arrived. Her head was pounding. She was pretty sure that some very evil person was standing above her, hitting her with a very heavy hammer over and over again. Then there was that infuriating, abnormally loud ticking of the clock on the bedside table. For some reason, it had picked today of all days to turn it's volume up. Or had she discovered her very own super power: the ability to hear things in surround sound? Then again, probably not. Apart from the pounding headache and the disgusting taste in her mouth, she felt a little nauseous. In the ten minutes since she had drifted into consciousness, she had felt like vomiting at least five times. But, as yet had refrained from doing so. For now at least.

She needed to get up. She needed to get up and get some aspirin and possibly a taco. She sighed deeply as she stretched her arms out slowly, so as not to disturb her delicate stomach which was already making strange gurgling noises. Finally, she slowly opened one of her heavy eyelids that were so sensitive to the light which came streaming through the curtains. She groaned at the brightness, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As one eye adjusted to the harsh morning light, she bravely opened the second. She lay there in silence for a few moments, waiting for the room to stop spinning, before pulling the sheets higher to cover her face. However, as she did so, something dawned on her and she quickly threw them back off herself. Looking around the room, she realised that she hadn't woken up in her bedroom. There was no pink, fluffy alarm clock anymore. In it's place was a sleek, stylish one instead. The room was furnished in rather expensive looking items, not the cheap rubbish she and her mother had accumulated over the years. A horrible feeling of dread came over her temporarily replacing the slightly queasy feeling she had. Could it be possible that she had gotten so drunk last night, that she would end up going home with someone from the pub? She looked down at her body, relieved that she wasn't naked but surprised to find herself wearing some _way_ too big sweat pants and shirt.

Rory frowned, trying to wrack her brain to figure out what had happened the night before. She remembered going to the pub, her date with Peter, although she wished that that was one of the things she couldn't remember. She remembered meeting Finn and Logan at the pub and them insisting she stay. She remembered watching Logan with some girl all over him and then Finn telling her that Logan liked her as more than a friend. However, it was quite possible that, by that time, Finn was already heavily inebriated, so she wasn't sure how much of what he said was actually based in reality. Rubbing her temple, she groaned. That was about as much as she could remember from the night before. The rest was a blank. _God, I hope I didn't do anything too humiliating!_ she thought to herself.

Slowly but surely, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, continuing to take in her surroundings. There were books on shelves, and one or two pictures on the desk where a rather expensive looking computer sat. Turning to look at the clock on her right, she noted that it was not much later than ten o'clock. Something else caught her attention, there was a glass of water and a couple of aspirin sitting beside the clock. She smiled slightly, whoever owened the room she had spent the night in, they were considerate enough to anticipate her weakened state in the morning. Rory pulled her legs out from under the covers, sitting at the edge of the bed. She reached over and took the two little miracle pills, swallowing them before washing them down with the glass of water. Feeling a little less queasy and dizzy, she got up out of the bed, holding onto the chair for support until she felt more steady on her feet. She felt like Bambi, as her legs wobbled beneath her. Gradually, she made her way to the door. Turning the handle, she pulled the door open and entered what seemed to be the living room/kitchen. She heard a radio playing quietly somewhere. As she walked towards the kitchen, she realized she was unconsciously following the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She winced as her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor beneath her. Next, she found herself literally jumping out of her skin as the door to the fridge banged shut and a familiar voice spoke her name from behind.

"Hey Ace! Glad you decided to join the land of the living." He said jovially. "I was getting slightly worried. I didn't think you were ever going to wake up."

Rory frowned at the sight of Logan, her mouth still agape. She simply couldn't speak. He stood before her dressed in khaki pants and a white t-shirt. His hair was slightly tousled as always and he had that trademark smirk of his plastered all over his face. There were no dark circles under his eyes or stubble on his face from not having shaved yet. He definitely did not look hung-over. He looked good. Damn good. _Typical, _she thought to herself.

"Do you want some coffee?" Logan asked, eying her suspiciously, and all the while holding up the coffee pot he had brewed especially for her. He had learned fairly early in their relationship, wait _friendship_, that a Gilmore without coffee wasn't really a pretty sight. Although, seeing her in his sweats with her hair a mess and a slightly confused expression on her face, she looked extremely cute. In fact, she looked adorable. His clothes definitely looked good on her. At that thought, he shook his head trying to erase any and all lustful thoughts of Rory from his mind.

Rory grunted her reply and gingerly made her way to one of the stools at the island, placing her head in her hands. Logan poured the coffee into a mug and sat it before her. He laughed to himself as she picked up the mug and inhaled the aroma before taking a sip and moaning in appreciation. He smirked at the sound, as he poured himself a mug and joined her at the counter. As he took a seat directly across from her, he couldn't help but wonder if she had remembered their almost kiss from the night before. He was kind of hopeful that she didn't. In fact, he was fairly certain that she didn't. She more than likely wouldn't be able to look him in the eye, knowing her as well as he did by now. Looking up from his mug, he noticed her blue eyes searching around the room, taking in her new surroundings. She then looked cautiously back at him. He frowned.

"What?" He asked softly, fully aware of her delicate condition. She paused for a moment, slightly apprehensive.

"How did I...? I mean, how did I manage to end up here last night?" Her voice croaked as she spoke. She had been in Logan's apartment before with Colin, but she had never spent the night in his bed. Logan's smile widened.

"You were pretty wasted last night, Ace." He told her. "And I figured you wouldn't appreciate sleeping in the hallway so, I brought you back here." He watched as she seemed to process the information he had given her, a frown appearing over her features.

"So, how did I end up in your pants?" She blurted out, before realising the implications. Logan smirked as her face reddened with embarrassment. "I mean.." she stammered slightly, "…I'm fairly certain these aren't the clothes I went out wearing last night."

"Wow, Nothing gets passed you!" He told her mockingly, before turning serious. "Don't worry, Ace. I didn't strip you naked and have my way with you while you were too drunk to remember anything. I assure you, I was the perfect gentleman. I even tucked you in, too."

She lifted the mug of coffee to her lips, taking another large gulp and sitting it back on the counter. Her facial expression indicated that she was deep in thought.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" He inquired. She looked up at him, her eyes widened as if to question him. "You have a pensive look on your face?" Logan answered.

Rory sighed, wiping her hair out of her face. She seemed hesitant to say what she wanted to say. "So we didn't…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She was too embarrassed.

"What?" Logan looked at her, unsure of what she was trying to ask. Until it finally dawned on him, she wanted to know whether they had slept together. "Uh, no Rory. We didn't…"

Logan smirked as she sighed with relief; however, he was pretty sure he saw something else in her eyes. He was certain he saw the slight glimmer of disappointment. That thought alone made him smile to himself.

"I mean, you practically begged me to defile you. But, me being the perfect gentleman that I am, I refrained." He told her haughtily, Rory rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "However, I assure you it took all of my efforts to refuse such a dazzling vision as I see before me."

Rory laughed as he spoke, blushing slightly.

"I have no idea how I managed to resist you in those sweats of mine." he said as he got up from his seat and headed over to where two slices of slightly burnt toast had popped up out of the toaster. He put them on a plate and sat them in front of her. Rory felt another bout of nausea come over her, but she picked up a slice and started nibbling at it. Logan smiled, "I mean, you seem to be able to pull off looking hot in just about anything. For example those pyjamas, which are my clothes, look great. I think you could probably even get away with wearing an old sack and you'd still look positively ravishing." He finished, causing Rory to blush uncontrollably. He was flirting with her. She was sitting there dressed in Logan's sweats, which were much too big for her, her hair was a mess, and she had no make-up on. She was pretty sure she looked absolutely disgusting and she was sure she didn't smell all that great either. She was in desperate need of a shower, but he was still flirting with her.

"Ugh!" She groaned, that was all she could manage as the pounding in her head returned. Logan laughed as he refilled her now empty coffee mug. Rory quickly snatched the mug and took a big gulp. He watched her closely, his smile widened. An image of her lying on his bed from the night before flashed through his mind. Those big blue eyes of hers burning through him. He sighed. Rory heard him and looked up at him curiously.

"So, you really don't remember anything about last night?" He asked, a hint of hesitancy in his voice as he avoided her stare. Rory shook her head, although she regretted the movement instantly.

"I can unfortunately remember everything up until Finn's nipples." She muttered, her head feeling like it would explode.

"Excuse me?" Logan frowned.

"The drinks, he had these drinks called…"

"Pink Nipples!" He finished nodding his head, fully understanding why she was so hung-over. He had learned over the years not to drink any kind of colourful concoction Finn offered you.

"Ace you don't accept a drink from Finn, that's just asking for trouble. Everyone knows that what Finn views as 100 concentrated is ten times what any mere mortal would even consider. No wonder you feel like death warmed up."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" she whined in a childish tone. Logan smiled at her behaviour.

"You could have asked me." He replied simply. Rory rolled her eyes, a memory returning to her from the night before.

"How could I ask you, when you were too busy with Barbie's tongue in your ear?" Her tone sounded harsher than she had meant it to sound. Logan noticed the slight tinge of jealousy in her voice as he held her gaze. They sat in silence for a few seconds, neither quite knowing how to proceed. Rory finished her coffee and began nervously tapping her fingers on the counter.

"So, did I…I didn't do anything humiliating last night did I?" she inquired fearfully. She wasn't sure that she really wanted to know, but she couldn't bare the long, pregnant pauses between them. It made her feel uneasy. Logan smiled back at her, mischief evident in his eyes.

"Well, besides the strip tease and the declaring of your undying love to a streetlight…" he started, laughing as he spoke. Rory's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't worry, Ace. Compared to what Finn got up to last night, you can rest easy."

"Why, what did Finn do this time?" she queried. Finn always managed to outdo anyone in the stupidity stakes.

"Well, after we left, he decided it would be fun to strip butt-ass naked and perform the 'Coyote Ugly' dance on the bar."

"No!"

"Yes! Needless to say, the guy who owns the bar wasn't impressed and called the cops. He spent the night in jail. Colin had to go bail him out, and he called me last night to tell me how much I owe him. Apparently it was my turn; however, I tried to explain that I had my hands full." He raised his eyebrows at her, causing her cheeks to redden in embarrassment at his implication.

"Finn is definitely one of a kind." Rory rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the never ending thudding she was experiencing. "Ugh! I am never drinking alcohol again."

Logan looked her over, taking the empty coffee mug from her grasp and placing it with his in the sink. He leaned towards her, brushing his hand over her forehead, feeling how hot she was. Rory jumped slightly, surprised at the feel of his hand on her face. He smiled down at her.

"Look, why don't you go take a bath. I already ran one for you. So go, relax and let the toxins wash out of your body." He told her seriously, and Rory looked at him dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he had been so thoughtful as to run her a bath. She wanted nothing more than to fully immerse herself in the warm water until her real self emerged.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Go nuts. There's fresh towels in the bathroom and plenty of shampoo and everything else you need to pamper yourself. Finn left it all the last time he stayed here. He likes to take bath's. It's quite disturbing." Rory laughed.

"Thanks." she said, clearly touched by the sweet gesture. She slid off the stool and made her way towards the bathroom, stopping suddenly and turning to face him.

"Thank you Logan." Logan nodded. "I don't just mean for the bath and the two aspirins you so kindly left in the room, or the coffee. I mean, thank you…for…taking care of me last night."

"Just doing my duty, Ace." He assured her. She smiled and then hurriedly made her way into the bathroom. Logan watched her go, a smile creeping over his features. He decided in that moment that he hated Colin and Finn with a passion for interrupting that almost kiss from the night before. They had _the_ worst timing.

It was official. _Finn is a God_, Rory thought to herself as she continued to soak in the huge bathtub Logan had prepared for her. He had filled it with bath salts and oils. There were a couple of scented candles sitting at the side, adding to the aroma as well as plenty of the key ingredients needed to complete any bathtub experience: bubbles. She was in heaven. _If I didn't know better, I'd swear Finn was gay. _

As she lay there in perfect relaxation, her eyes closed and her body cleansed itself of any traces left of her hangover. Her mind registered the fact that she was lying naked in Logan Huntzberger's bathtub, having spent the night sleeping in his bed. The thought of him being just on the other side of the door made her feel slightly nervous. The idea alone was playing havoc with her already delicate stomach. She smiled as she thought about how sweet he had been; bringing her back to his apartment, helping her change into more comfortable clothing, giving up his bed, the glass of water and aspirin waiting on the nightstand, and not to mention the ready made coffee. The bath just capped it off. He really was a gentleman. Not at all what his womanizing reputation would have you believe.

Rory began splashing her hands in the water enjoying the feel of the ripples she made, sighing as she did so. She was confused. After everything that Finn had said the night before-or rather, everything she could remember him saying about Logan liking her as more than a friend-she found herself loathe to really believe him. Sure, she liked Logan. She more than liked him; however, she didn't think it was possible that he would like her back as anything other than a sparring partner. It was true, he did flirt with her but he was Logan Huntzberger. He flirted with anything in a skirt. Sure,he had been known to do some incredibly sweet things for her, including bringing her stuff from Colin's knowing she'd need her textbooks. However, the thing that was confusing her the most was whether he did those things for other girls too or just her. Did he really like her, like Finn said, or was he just being a nice guy? A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts. As she heard Logan's voice from outside the door, she instinctively covered herself with her arms, protecting her modesty in case he entered the room.

"You still alive in there, Ace?" He shouted, she could just envision that smirk of his covering his features. She felt herself shiver, suddenly realising how cold the water had become.

"I'll be right out!" Rory called back to him. She began pulling herself up holding onto the sides of the tub until she was steadily on her knees facing the door.

"What?" Logan asked, entering the room, only to be greeted by a loud squeal and the sight of Rory, naked from the waist up. His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight, unable to look away, although he knew he should. His jaw dropped, he was frozen to the spot.

"Logan!" She anxiously reached for a towel to cover her from his intruding eyes. "Get out!" She yelled throwing the rest of the towels at him, her entire body blushing. He snapped out of his haze as a soft towel hit him on the head and he quickly backed out of the room.

"Sorry." Logan closed the door and leaned against it trying to get the image of naked Rory out of his mind. He brushed his hand through his hair, a soft smile playing on his lips. _Damn! She looked hot, _he thought to himself.

Rory sat in the tub, still clutching onto the soaking wet towel for dear life. She was in shock at what had just happened a few minutes before. Logan had walked in on her and had gotten a serious eyeful. She was mortified. She felt totally humiliated and embarrassed. Feeling her whole body shiver, she tentatively pulled herself out of the now freezing cold water and grabbed a dry towel, wrapping it around her. She placed the toilet seat down and sat on it, her head in her hands. She groaned at the idea of Logan seeing her naked. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there for, but as the cold air circulated around her, she felt her body shake. She was freezing. She desperately needed to go put her clothes on and have a drink of coffee to warm her up, but she couldn't. They were outside the door, where Logan was and there was no way that she could possibly face him. Nope, she would just have to stay where she was until he left for class. Then she remembered that it was Sunday, therefore no classes. She groaned even louder, rubbing her arms with her hands trying to produce some body heat.

"Ace?" He asked, gently knocking on the door again. Rory's eyes flew to the door, a fearful expression on her face.

"Don't come in!"

"Ace, listen, I'm really sorry about walking in like that. Please come out!" He pleaded. She didn't reply. "Come on Rory, you cant hide in there forever, you know."

Rory sighed. He was right, she couldn't stay in there forever as much as she wanted to. She would have to face him sooner or later. Rory stood up, adjusting the towel so it was securely fastened, and padded over to the door.

"Rory, come on, I didn't even see anything anyway. I swear." He lied. She snorted.

"Yeah right!" she said sarcastically.

"Come on, Ace. I have coffee." He said in a sing-song voice, hoping she wouldn't be able to resist her beloved beverage. He was right.

Letting out a deep, heavy sigh, she pulled the door handle and inched open the door, peaking out at him. Logan smirked and then held out the mug of coffee. Rory opened the door wider and slid out, avoiding any eye contact with him.

"Look Rory, I really didn't mean to…"

"It's fine Logan. Lets just forget about it okay." She said quickly, taking the mug from his hand. Logan nodded.

"Completely erased from my mind." he agreed, all the while struggling to get the image of her wet, glistening body and soft, supple breasts out of his mind. He cleared his throat in a desperate bid to break up the awkward silence between them. Rory still wasn't looking him in the eye, he noticed. He was trying hard to hold back the laughter he had building up inside him as he replayed the horrified look on her face. Not that he spent too much time looking at her face. He was a gentleman, but he was still a guy. His eyes unconsciously travelled over her body. She was wearing only a towel and she looked sexy as hell. He watched closely as a drop of water slid down her neck, disappearing down her cleavage. _Lucky drop of water, _he thought to himself. He then noticed her shiver and realised that she must be freezing.

"Ace, your shaking." He stepped towards her, but she quickly jumped back pressing her back against the door to the bathroom. He noticed how uncomfortable she was and moved backwards. "You should go get dressed. We don't want you catching pneumonia now do we."

Rory nodded, handing him the now empty coffee mug and slid by him. He watched her head silently back to his bedroom and he couldn't help his eyes wandering over those incredibly long legs of hers. A thought then occurred to him.

"You know, I was right, Ace. You do look good in just about anything. That towel is seriously working for you…"He teased, his smirk in full sight. "…although, the naked look? Definitely the one I would go with." His smile widened as Rory looked back at him, blushing uncontrollably. She rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. She couldn't help the smile growing on her face. However, she jumped as she heard a light tapping at the bedroom door.

"Hey Ace, you decent? I figured you could use these." His voice drifted through the door. She frowned, curious as to what he wanted, and opened the door. Logan was standing before her holding up a dry cleaning bag. She stepped towards him, taking the bag as he offered it to her.

"I sent your stuff out to get dry cleaned last night. I didn't think you would really want to smell of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke." He grinned. Rory looked up at those warm, chocolate brown eyes of his for the first time since the incident and smiled. She couldn't quite believe how incredibly sweet and considerate he was.

"Thank you." She reached up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek and as she pulled away, they locked eyes. They stood in silence, inches from each other. She felt her stomach flutter but this time it wasn't because she wanted to throw up. This time it was out of nervousness. She felt her heart race as she breathed in the scent of his cologne. Her eyes drifted down to his mouth as he took a step towards her, closing the gap. Then the door to Logan's apartment flew open and a female voice broke them both out of their daze.

"Am I interrupting something?" Honor asked as Logan pulled away, running an unsteady hand through his hair. He frowned at his sister, silently cursing her and heralding her at the same time.

"Honor, what, umm, what are you doing here?" He stammered slightly, trying to get his bearings back as he looked at Rory, realising what they had come dangerously close to doing for a second time. Rory smiled shyly, clutching hold of her dry cleaning.

"We had a date little brother, although I can see your mind was on other things." She eyed Rory suspiciously, taking in her state of dress, or rather her state of undress. She was still wearing only a towel.

"Hi Honor." Rory waved, trying to not even consider what Honor was thinking.

"Rory. Good to see you. I didn't think I'd be seeing so much of you but…" Honor replied rather haughtily. Rory smiled politely and then gestured towards the bedroom.

"Well, I'm going to go put some clothes on."

"Good idea." Honor told her, all the while drawing daggers at her younger sibling. As Rory closed the door, Honor slapped Logan on the side of the head.

"Ouch! What the hell?" He exclaimed, rubbing his head. However, she was not finished. She slapped him a second time. "Hey, stop hitting me will you!"

"You are such an idiot. Just when I think you can't top the last moronic thing you did, you go and do something even more stupid." She slapped him on the side of the head one last time, Logan caught her wrist as she pulled away.

"Hey, don't think that just because you're older and you're a girl, that I wont hesitate to take you out if you do that one more time." He warned her. Honor rolled her eyes, freeing her wrist from his hold.

"You wish!" she said, before making her way over to the living area and sitting on one of the sofas. "I just cant believe that you would throw away twenty-two years of friendship for a one night stand."

Logan followed her, sitting down beside her, still rubbing the side of his head. The girl definitely could pack a wallop.

"And Rory, I cant believe she would stoop so low. I thought she at least had some standards."

"Hey!" He said offended by her comments. Honor looked at him firmly.

"Oh please Logan, we're all well aware of your reputation. I just can't believe you would do that to your best friend. I mean, that's low even for you." Logan was getting tired of her criticising him for something that he hadn't even done.

"Okay, hold on a second here. This is not what you think," he assured her. Honor looked sceptical.

"It's not?"

"No! Rory and I, nothing happened. We didn't sleep together, if that's what your thinking." Honor rolled her eyes, not quite believing his denial.

"Oh really? So what about the fact that she was practically naked when I walked in here?"

"She wasn't naked." He said firmly, trying to rid his mind of the naked image of Rory from before which was now permanently seared into his brain. "She was wearing a towel."

"Is that the new fashion trend, because I don't think its going to catch on here in Connecticut, especially with the harsh Winters and all." She laughed at her brothers lame attempts to explain what she had walked in on. Logan sighed in frustration.

"Look, nothing happened between me and Rory, okay." He assured her. "She got pretty wasted last night, and I took her back to her place. We couldn't find her keys and her room mate wasn't home, so I brought her back here. She slept in the bed, I slept on the couch. Nothing happened. I was the perfect gentleman, no funny business, I swear. We're just friends. I am not interested in her like that."

"Really?"

"Really." At that point, Logan looked up as he heard the door close over. Rory stood, now fully dressed in the clothes she had on the night before. She had a strange expression on her face, he was sure it was disappointment.

"Umm, I should get going. Paris will probably send out a search party." She smiled slightly, although he could tell it wasn't a genuine smile. He was pretty sure she had overheard him talking to Honor. He stood up and moved towards her.

"Do you want me to give you a ride?" He asked softly, not wanting her to be upset. Rory's smile widened as she shook her head.

"No, that's okay. I could probably use the fresh air, anyway. It'll be good for me." She said jovially. Logan nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets, fully aware of Honor's prying eyes watching them.

"Okay. So, I'll see you around then." He said simply, trying to act casual. Rory mirrored his behaviour, giving him a small smile before heading to the door.

"Bye Honor."

"Good to see you again, Rory." Honor called after her. Rory took one last look at Logan and then left, closing the door behind her. Logan sighed heavily, scratching his head before turning back to his sister, who was now busying herself making a fresh pot of coffee. She looked up as she heard him sigh and then smiled evilly to herself.

"Oh yeah, you two...just friends. No danger there." She said sarcastically, opening the fridge door looking for some milk. Logan contemplated her words. She was right, there was a big danger there. That was now two occasions where they had almost kissed, only to be interrupted. Then there was the _completely_ innocent walking in on her naked situation. He felt himself harden at the very thought of her. He was thinking about her constantly and it was rather unnerving. Was he developing a thing for Rory Gilmore? He didn't have crushes on girls. He was Logan Huntzberger for crying out loud. But this girl just seemed to get under his skin and he didn't like that fact one bit.

"Coffee?"


	5. Chapter 5: Avoiding The Inevitable

**AN: So here is the next installment of 'When It's Meant To Be'. Sorry for the wait, but it's a long chapter, so hopefully that will make up for it. I have this story planned out down to the final scene, so I should -hopefully- be able to get it written without any problems. I know where I'm going with it and I hope you like it and continue to stay with me. Please read and review. Your opinions are greatly appreciated. I love getting feedback, it keeps me motivated. So thanks so far and in advance. Oh, have any of you been watching the lovely Matt Czuchry in Friday Night Lights? It's so good to see him again looking as good as ever. That smile...sighs Someone give that boy his own show. Please!**

**Thanks Megan, you always do a great job. I'm sorry things have been so hectic for you. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. **

When Its Meant To Be

Chapter Five: Avoiding The Inevitable.

A few days had passed since the bathroom incident had occurred. In those few days, she had managed to have little to no contact with a certain blonde-haired, brown-eyed boy. Rory had found that she had developed excellent evasive skills over the years and had avoided any embarrassingly awkward moments. She had seen him around campus, at the coffee cart or in the hallways. Thankfully he wasn't really a frequent occupier of her main haunts, such as the library, her dorm room, or the nice little tree she had found in the quad the year before. As much as she was humiliated by the whole 'Logan walking in on her naked' scenario, it was the conversation she had overheard Logan having with his sister, Honor, which seemed to bother her the most. She kept replaying his words over and over in her mind: '_We're just friends. I'm not interested in her like that.' _

On that morning, she had made a hasty exit after hearing what he said. She wasn't afraid to admit her disappointment at the fact that Logan saw her as nothing more than a friend, but then she felt ridiculous for even thinking that he would ever see her as anything else. She wasn't his type, she knew that. He was Logan Huntzberger. A playboy, a womanising Casanova who ate little girls like her for breakfast. That fact sunk in as she sat at the table, stabbing her fork into the roast beef her grandmother had had the chef prepare for them.

"Are you alright, Rory? Is there something wrong with the food? Because I can have Anetha prepare something else for you." Emily's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Looking up she saw the concern on both her grandparents and her mother's faces staring back at her. Rory placed her fork down beside her plate and smiled. It was a false smile, but she couldn't exactly come out and say that the reason she was so quiet was because the boy she liked walked in on her in the buff, and now she felt humiliated and could never show her face around school again. Her grandfather would have a stroke and her mother would probably die laughing. So, she smiled politely and offered up the excuse she knew they would accept.

"Sorry, Grandma. I'm fine. Just tired with school and everything." she said, readjusting her vision to not include the all knowing eyes of Lorelai Gilmore. "The food's lovely. I'm just not that hungry."

"Rory, you must eat to keep your strength up. All of that studying isn't good for you if your wasting away. You must take care of yourself too, you know." Richard told her firmly. Rory smiled again, touched by his genuine concern. She reached over and placed her hand on top of his.

"I know Grandpa. Don't worry. I eat my weight in food usually. I just had a big lunch." She reassured him. Richard smiled warmly back at his granddaughter.

"Well, I'll have Anetha wrap something up for you, you can have it later tonight." Emily said sharply. There was no way she was going to let her only grandchild go hungry.

"Thanks, grandma." Emily nodded and then continued eating her meal. Rory braved a look over at Lorelai, who was busily scraping the lettuce off her plate. She shook her head before taking a sip of wine, her mind returning to thoughts of Logan.

"So, next week Friday Night Dinner is cancelled." Emily spoke confidently, causing both Rory and Lorelai to sit upright at the news, Lorelai with a huge smile on her face.

"Why's that, Mom?" Lorelai asked, trying not to sound too happy at the news. Emily smiled at her daughter, fully aware of her joy.

"Well, it's the Huntzberger's twenty-fifth Wedding Anniversary next week and they are having a party to celebrate." Rory's face noticeably paled at the mention of the name 'Huntzberger'. Emily continued.

"The Huntzberger's are very dear friends of ours and we must attend."

"So, no Friday Night Dinner. What a shame." Lorelai said with mock disappointment.

"Well, if you want to come so desperately…"

"No, mom that's fine. I think I have some work to do anyway so…" Emily rolled her eyes at her daughters quick rebuff, before turning to Rory who was still silent.

"How about you, Rory? Would you like to-"

"Uh, Rory has that thing, mom." Lorelai quickly jumped in trying to save her daughter from a night of boredom. Rory narrowed her eyes as she stared back at her mother, unsure which thing she was referring to.

"I don't believe I was asking you, Lorelai." Emily sighed before returning her attention to Rory. Lorelai shrugged her shoulders in defeat as all eyes were on Rory for the second time that evening. Rory shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Would you like to attend with us, Rory?"

"It would be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet some very important people, none more so than Mitchum Huntzberger himself. He does own twelve newspapers. Not a bad contact to make, you know." Richard filled her in. Rory looked back at her mother, hoping for some genius idea to strike but there was nothing. Rory sighed, resigned to her fate.

"Sure, that sounds great." Emily's smile widened.

"Wonderful. Maybe you could invite Colin to come with you." Rory froze at the mention of his name, cringing slightly. She hadn't told her grandparents of her break-up. She was pretty sure Emily wouldn't be too pleased at the news, seeing as it was her meddling that brought them together in the first place. After the Male Yale party her grandparents had thrown for her, Emily had decided to set Rory up with Colin having seen them speak briefly.

"Um, Grandma. Colin and I broke up." Rory spoke softly, trying not to incur her wrath. Both Emily and Richard looked up sharply at this news.

"Oh. But you made such a lovely couple." Emily stated, her disappointment on full display. "Why would you break up with him?"

"I didn't. He broke up with me," Rory explained. She really didn't want to discuss her pathetic love life with her grandparents.

"That's ridiculous. Does he think he'll do better?" Richard asked rhetorically, annoyed at the suggestion that his granddaughter wasn't the perfect angel he so believed. Rory sighed.

"Perhaps you will meet someone at the party who is more deserving of your affections." Emily added, patting Rory on the hand in a reassuring manner. Rory smiled as she took another sip of her wine. She could feel her stomach flutter as she contemplated having to be in the same room as the boy who already held her affections, but did not return them. It wasn't something she was looking forward to.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

He was finding it hard to control himself as she traced a path of soft kisses over his body. The feel of her lips on his skin made him groan as she found her way to his neck. She was nibbling and sucking his collarbone, licking his neck, and biting his earlobe. He grabbed her arms firmly, pulling her close to indulge in a passionate kiss. As he did so, she lay flush on top of him, her breasts pressed against his chest. She began slowly grinding her hips into his, rubbing herself against his rather prominent erection.

"Oh my God." Logan groaned.

She continued her ministrations. Slowly and gently her hand found its way down to his crotch, cupping him, before capturing his lips in a hard, ferocious kiss.

"Logan," she moaned, her breath heavy as he slid his hands caressingly over her body. Feeling every inch of her, he gradually rested on the swell of her butt. He gave her a little squeeze, causing her to grind into him even harder. Logan was on the edge. He couldn't believe how close he was to losing it.

"Rory," he growled under his breath, attacking her lips in the process. He grabbed her hips, abruptly rolling her over so he was the one now on top.

"Logan," her breathy moans were driving him crazy.

"Logan!" he heard a deeper voice call his name from the distance. "Logan! Come on mate. Wake up!"

Logan's eyes flashed open as he recognised the Australian accent. Looking around, he saw that he was in his room, alone. _It was just a dream. A really intense, vivid dream. _He could feel her all over him. He sighed heavily as the door to his room opened to reveal a slightly hung over and dishevelled looking Finn standing in the door way. Logan swept his hand over his face as he peeled back the covers and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Sorry, mate. I didn't mean to disturb your beauty sleep but I can't get into my room. I've lost my keys." Finn whined, entering Logan's bedroom and plopping himself down on a chair. Logan laughed to himself slightly. Finn had lost his keys. That seemed to be a recurring theme these days. Logan stood up wearing only his boxers and tilted his head towards the clock to see the time. It was a little after five in the morning. Finn eyed his friend sceptically before quickly looking away, a smile on his face.

"So, I see your happy to see me. But Logan, I'm sorry to tell you that you're really not my type." He told him, trying to hold back his laughter. "Maybe if you put on a red wig we could talk."

Logan frowned, he had no idea what his crazy, drunken friend was talking about. Realisation soon dawned on his slightly groggy mind as he stood there in nothing but his boxers. He looked down to notice a rather large bulge in his boxers. He sighed as Finn burst out laughing.

"I think it's cold showers for you, mate." Finn told him as he vacated his room leaving Logan alone with his thoughts and other things.

Logan sat back down on his bed trying to think of something to cure him of his current predicament. It had been a while since he had experienced this problem and tried to think of un-sexy thoughts in a bid to quell his excitement. _Finn, Finn's feet, Finn's legs, Finn's knees. Rory's knees, Rory's thighs, Rory's…Not helping, _he thought to himself.

This was definitely a new occurrence, having lust-filled dreams about Rory. Sure, he was like every other guy on the planet. He fantasised about different woman all the time, but never about Rory. This was new. The dream had been so intense. He felt like she was right there with him in his room. He could feel her soft skin and smell her scent so clearly. He wondered why now. Why was he dreaming about Rory now, after all this time? He had known Rory for a while now and had never indulged himself in having illicit dreams about her. Sure, he imagined her naked but he no longer had to imagine. Ever since he had walked in on her in the bathroom, he was continuously inundated with images of her in all her glory.

Suddenly he felt guilty. He felt guilty for thinking of Rory like that. She was his friend and he respected her. He felt guilty because of Colin. She was his best friend's ex- girlfriend and all he could think about - and dream about - was kissing her, touching her, and seeing her naked. _Oh God, stop me! I am going to hell._

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

The queue wasn't going anywhere and neither was Rory, not until she was in possession of her desired steaming cup of coffee. She had been standing in line for what felt like forever, but was really only about five minutes, dying of thirst. She was on her way to her afternoon history class and definitely needed a fix if she was going to make it through the whole class. Her Professor had a very dull, monotone voice which could put anyone to sleep, hence the need for caffeine.

Standing there fifth from the front, she felt her mind drift off imagining the taste of the scorching, hot liquid trickling down her throat only to be interrupted by the feel of something hard hitting her on the side of the head and the sound of an Australian voice calling out.

"Heads up!"

She spun around, while rubbing her head, to see a football lying a few inches away. When she turned back she saw Finn approach her followed by the blonde boy she had been avoiding the past few days. Finn, as usual, looked his fun, bubbly self. Logan on the other hand looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She quickly regained her composure and stepped forward as she finally got to the front of the queue and ordered her coffee.

"Sorry love, I wasn't aiming for you. I swear." Finn promised, picking up the football. He threw it to Logan as Rory paid the barista and moved out of the way of the others. She smiled at Finn, glancing briefly at Logan.

"Don't worry about it, Finn," she said, sipping her steaming, hot coffee. "I live with Paris so I'm used to things flying at my head." At that, Logan smirked and for the first time made eye contact with her. He held her gaze for a few seconds before she quickly looked away.

"So, have you recovered from your night on the tiles yet?" Finn enquired giving her a knowing look. Rory could feel her face turn red as she remembered the conversation she had had with Finn that night at the pub: the one about her liking Logan and him reciprocating those feelings. Obviously, she knew that not to be the case now, but she didn't want Finn to go blabbing to Logan or anyone else about what she may have drunkenly said that night. She had suffered enough humiliation to last her a lifetime.

"Um, yeah. I think I learned a valuable lesson that night," she said nervously.

"Never go on a date with a superhero?"

"Never accept alcohol from a guy named 'Finn'." Finn frowned and placed his hand on his chest, offended by her words.

"Hey, no one forced you, love. It's not my fault you cant handle your liquids." As he finished, a passing redhead caught his eye and he followed after her. "Excuse me a second."

Rory anxiously watched Finn rush off to catch up with the redhead, leaving her alone with Logan. She smiled at him and then took a large gulp of her coffee. She began stirring the liquid with the stirring stick trying not to look at him. As she nervously chewed on her bottom lip trying to think of something remotely intelligent to say, she could feel his eyes burning through her. Slowly, she worked up the courage to look up at him.

"Nice day!" Logan smirked, sensing her unease at being alone with him. He had to admit, he was finding it hard to focus himself. He was desperately trying not to think about the image of her naked from the waist up, which had now become permanently burned into his brain. As he looked back at her shy demeanour, he realised that she probably thought that was exactly what he was doing. Thinking about her soft, wet, nubile…

"Uh, yeah. Nice day!" he almost choked getting out the words. Rory hardly noticed his less than cool appearance and continued sipping her coffee until there was none left.

"So…"

"So…"

"There you have it, ladies and gentleman. Another beautiful woman falling at my feet," announced Finn loudly as he returned waving a small piece of paper with the redhead's phone number, proudly for all to see. Rory was slightly relieved to have him back as she no longer had to stand around making an idiot of herself in front of Logan. Finn threw his arm over Logan's shoulder and smiled broadly.

"Is she blind? Maybe that's why she fell at your feet," quipped Logan sarcastically, handing the football back to Finn. Rory laughed quietly to herself before catching Logan's eye again, making her feel very uncomfortable. She really did need to get out of there and soon.

"Hey, just because you're not getting any doesn't mean you need to rain on my parade." Finn pouted as Logan scowled back at him. Rory felt even more uncomfortable, she was sure her face was turning as red as her sweater.

"Well, um…I should probably get going. I have a class, so…"

"Rory!" she heard a voice call her name from the other side of the quad. Turning around quickly, she noticed Marty walking towards them, his original smile slowly diminishing as he realised who she was talking to. Marty had never really liked Logan, Colin, or Finn. Mainly because they were pretty rude to him but she had a sneaking suspicion that maybe there was more to it, especially seeing as he had avoided her pretty much the whole time she and Colin had dated.

"Hey Marty!" Rory greeted him, a little too happily. She was relieved to see a friendly face and one who hadn't seen her naked.

"Hey." he replied cautiously, eyeing Logan and Finn. Rory turned back to face the others and smiled.

"Um, you remember Finn and Logan?"

"Yeah! Hi!"

"Hi." Logan responded unenthusiastically. Finn looked Marty over from head to toe.

"Do I know you?" Rory rolled her eyes and then grabbed hold of Marty's arm pulling him hurriedly away.

"Well, we should go. Bye guys." Logan watched after her, slowly feeling his blood boil as she and that Marty guy disappeared. He felt strange. He felt angry and irritated, and most of it was directed at the guy who practically had his hands all over his Ace.

"So, what happened?" The sound of Finn speaking brought him out of his haze and he looked at him cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Finn smiled throwing the football in the air before catching it again.

"I mean, with you and Rory." Logan frowned, he wasn't used to Finn being inquisitive. That was usually because he was too drunk to notice anything but since he had been barred from the pub after the stripping incident, he had developed an annoying habit of being sober all the time.

"Nothing happened between me and Rory," he tried to shrug it off. He really didn't want to be having this conversation right now.

"Yeah right. So what's with the 'looking at anything else but not at each other' act you two were just performing?"

"I don't know what your talking about, Finn." Logan turned to walk away, only for Finn to follow after him.

"Sure you do. Tell me what happened. Did you sleep with her?" Logan spun back around quickly.

"No Finn. I didn't sleep with her, okay." he told him, his frustration ever more apparent.

"So, what? I know she slept at your place the other night."

"How did you…?" Logan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Robert told me you scared him off and took Rory home with you," Finn explained.

"I didn't 'take her home with me'. She was drunk, and she couldn't find her keys. So being the gentleman that I am, I let her crash at my place. Nothing happened." Logan defended himself, he was beginning to get tired of people thinking he was some kind of sex obsessed maniac who couldn't go a night without getting laid.

"Something happened! Just tell me, Logan. Or I will go and ask Rory right now." Logan sighed, knowing that that was very likely the kind of thing Finn would have no problem doing and so, not wanting to add to Rory's further embarrassment, he caved.

"Fine! Jeez Finn. Could you be anymore annoying?"

"Probably. I haven't had any alcohol yet. So? Spill."

Logan looked around making sure no one was within hearing range.

"I, sort of…walked in on her naked in the bathroom."

"You walked in on who naked in the bathroom?" Colin asked as he joined them in the quad. Logan's face paled, hoping that Finn would keep his mouth shut. He anxiously looked back at Finn who had an irritating grin on his face. Logan narrowed his eyes, giving him his most life threatening glare.

"Honor! He walked in on Honor in the bathroom. He saw everything." Colin froze, momentarily sickened by the thought of Logan walking in on his naked sister. Logan stared at Finn in disbelief as he winked triumphantly back at him.

"That's sick, Logan!" Colin stated bluntly, unaware of the growing hostility between his two best friends, more so on Logan's part.

"Tell me about it." Logan answered, glaring sternly back at Finn.

"So, are we going to find a new pub for Finn to get barred from or what?"

"Absolutely."

"Lead the way, Col." As Colin started off towards the car park, Logan pulled Finn back.

"Why the hell did you tell him that I walked in on my sister naked? Now I have to deal with that disturbing image as well as Rory." Logan complained. Finn shook off his grip and rolled his eyes.

"Look at it this way, mate. Would you rather he think you saw your sister naked or that you saw _his_ ex-girlfriend naked?" Finn smirked as he watched Logan ponder his question momentarily before sighing, resigned to the fact that Finn, perhaps for the first time in his life, was right. Logan looked back at his smug friend and then turned in the direction of the car park.

"Come on, it's time to get you drunk. You make too much sense when your sober. It's quite disturbing." He declared, walking away leaving Finn to follow on with a triumphant look on his face.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

"Rory! I'd like to introduce you to Frank and Melinda Hadden and their son, Kyle." Emily said politely, in her best society voice as she ushered her granddaughter over to meet the latest in a long line of perspective suitors. Rory sighed inwardly before plastering on her now perfected society smile and shook the offered hands of the Hadden family. "Kyle attends Yale, he's a Business major."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Rory greeted them warmly, trying all the while not to roll her eyes in contempt at her grandmothers obvious attempts at setting her up.

"Rory is going to be a journalist. She'll be working for the 'New York Times' soon enough," boasted Emily, her face filled with pride.

"Wow, impressive," stated Kyle, smiling suggestively back at her. Rory felt her skin crawl as she noticed his eyes travel over her body. She couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Here they were standing with their families and he was blatantly checking her out.

"Our Rory's going straight to the top!"

"You must be so proud, Emily," said Melinda. Emily beamed back at her as Rory's gaze temporarily scanned the room looking for something, anything to save her from her impending doom. An evening spent in the company of Creepy Kyle.

She had been here, at the Huntzberger's Anniversary celebration, for about two hours, twelve minutes, and…thirty-two seconds. Not that she was keeping track. She had been introduced to almost every 'eligible' bachelor on the Eastern Seaboard. Rory was used to her grandmother trying to set her up, but it was becoming tiresome. Especially as she didn't have her mother here to act as a buffer. She made a mental note to scold her mother severely for ditching her and leaving her to her horrible fate.

Rory continued looking over the crowd as Emily went on and on about her wonderful achievements. She didn't recognise anyone. No one amongst the sea of black tuxes and fancy designer gowns jumped out at her. Not even the boy she had spent the night not looking for. She thought she would've spotted him somewhere by now, it was his parents party after all. Then again, maybe she should just keep an eye out for the trail of brain dead bimbos and Logan wouldn't be too far behind, she thought to herself.

Looking down at her watch, she noticed it was only 9.06 p.m. It was going to be a long night. That she was sure of. She needed a saviour. Someone to get her away from Creepy Kyle and Leering Larry, as well as Halitosis Hank.

As she looked up from her watch, she scanned the room, searching agonisingly for that saviour. Suddenly, her eyes locked onto a pair of brown ones. They belonged to a very handsome, very familiar looking, blonde-haired boy, who seemed to be just as interested in his conversation as she was in her own. He gave her a small smile and a wave before rolling his eyes and mouthing the word 'Help'. She smiled back, unable to contain the laughter he provoked; however, the sound of Emily's voice beckoning her grabbed Rory's attention. It seemed there was someone else for her to be introduced to. She sighed, pulling her gaze away from the bored blonde and followed her Grandmother, fake smile and all, ready to meet the next potential husband.

"Rory, this is Phillip and Barbara Wiseman and their son, Phillip junior." Emily informed her. Rory smiled and shook their hands, falling back into the routine.

"How do you do?" Emily quickly began filling her in on all of Phillip junior's achievements. Rory nodded, trying to look impressed while at the same time, discreetly stealing a glance in the direction of the boy from before, but he was gone. He had managed to escape the clutches of his acquaintance and had run for dear life, or so she assumed. _Lucky_, she thought to herself as Emily rambled on and on.

RLRLRLRLRL

He sighed, groaning inwardly as he looked up from his watch. It was only 9.03 p.m and he was already bored out of his mind. It was his parents twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and there was no way he would've been able to get out of attending the bore fest that was this party.

_Thank God for Mr Flasky, _he thought to himself as he remembered the one thing that was keeping him sane. He had arrived about an hour ago, late as usual and received an ear bashing from his disappointed parents shortly afterwards. Then, pretty much straight away, his mother had dragged him over to talk to the 'lovely Fallon girl'. For some strange reason, she was under the impression that they were perfect for each other and would make a wonderful couple. A power couple, that's what she always called them despite the fact that they had nothing in common and that Melissa Fallon was incredibly dull. Shira seemed to overlook that fact as would Logan, usually. He wasn't really all that fussy when it came to picking his bed partners over the years, but recently he seemed to have raised his standards higher. It seemed he needed to be able to have an intelligent and stimulating conversation with a girl first before he would consider sleeping with her. He had no idea where that came from, but it bugged him immensely.

He downed the contents of his glass before glancing at his watch again. 9.05p.m. He was sure that time was moving slower than normal.

"So, I told Angela, my hairstylist, that it simply wasn't acceptable and that she would just have to redo it completely. Can you believe her?" rambled Melissa incredulously. She was completely unaware that her companion wasn't paying attention to a word she said.

"Uh Huh." Logan nodded absentmindedly. He had tuned her incessant yammering out of his head about fifteen minutes ago. "Great!"

Melissa, not noticing his absolute lack of interest continued on about her hair while Logan anxiously looked for a waiter. He was in desperate need of a refill. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he caught sight of a familiar head of brown hair standing across the other side of the room. He wasn't sure if it was actually her as he could only see her from the back. But as she turned around, their eyes locked. It was her. The girl he had been dreaming about for the last week. He noticed she was with an older woman, namely Emily Gilmore and she looked just as bored as he was. Warmly, he smiled at her giving her a slight wave, which she returned. He rolled his eyes, making sure that Melissa didn't notice before mouthing the word, 'Help' to the brunette. At that, her smile widened and he could tell she was laughing; however, their distant interaction lasted only a few seconds as she was hauled away by her grandmother.

"Logan, don't you agree?" asked Melissa. Logan looked back at her having momentarily forgotten she was there.

"Um yeah. Absolutely," he agreed, not aware of what he was agreeing with but as he got a smile in return, he figured it was the right response. "Listen, I'll be right back. I just need a refill."

"Okay. Hurry-" he was gone before she had the chance to finish her sentence.

Logan made his way towards the bar, all the while searching the crowd trying to see _her_. But she was nowhere to be found. He smiled to himself as he placed his order. _Maybe she escaped!_

"Have you seen Logan? Melissa's looking for him." He heard his mother's voice and immediately lowered his head. _I have to get out of here, now!_

RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory walked along the hallway as quietly as possible, silently hoping she wouldn't get caught. She had managed to slip away from her Grandmother's clutches and was desperately searching for a place to hide out for a while. Emily had spent the night introducing her to what seemed like an endless conveyor belt of rich, privileged, snotty young men and she was fairly certain that she was on the edge of losing her sanity. So, when her Grandparent's backs were turned, she had made a run for it and headed upstairs.

As she stealthily crept along the corridor, she found herself gravitating towards the room at the end of the grand hallway, giving her plenty of distance from the party and its inhabitants. Glancing both ways, she opened the door as quietly as possible and quickly sneaked inside. Rory closed the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes. She sighed with relief as nothing but silence surrounded her. _Peace at last!_

"Hey Ace!" came a familiar voice startling her from the shadows. Her eyes flew open as she literally jumped out of her skin.

"Oh my God! Logan, you scared me," she practically yelped as her heart rate increased. "What are you doing here?"

Logan moved towards her from his position by the window, revealing a smirk on his face as the shadows faded slightly. "I was just hanging out. In my room."

Rory's eyes widened in surprise, she had had no idea whose room it was she was intruding upon; however, the irony of the situation was not lost on her. Here she had spent the last week or so avoiding Logan as best as she could, only to find herself in his bedroom. Life had a funny sense of humour sometimes. Maybe this was Fate's way of telling her that they were meant to be. Then again, maybe not.

After a few moments, her breathing returned to normal and she was able to focus on the fact that she was alone with Logan, in his bedroom. She looked up at him as he studied her. He looked good. She couldn't help herself from admiring him. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and white shirt. His hair was its usual chaos, but he still looked incredibly smart. Hot as well. In fact, she wasn't quite sure whether there was an actual word which could properly describe his hotness tonight. If there was, it escaped her at this time.

Noticing his brown eyes on her, she felt herself come over all unnecessary. She felt her temperature soar as she blushed under his gaze. Logan smiled that trademark smirk of his, which really didn't help her. He watched her closely for a few seconds, getting some kind of sick pleasure from seeing her squirm under his attention, she was sure. He then sat down on the bed, patting the covers beside him indicating for her to join him. Hesitantly, she did just that, making sure there was just enough space between them to prevent her from internally combusting as her insides swirled around like crazy. She hated that he had such an effect on her. It wasn't fair.

"S-so…this is your room?" she asked him nervously, her voice almost a whisper. Logan looked around although he couldn't see much as there was no lights on.

"Yep! This is my room. I haven't been in here in ages," he told her succinctly. Rory watched him from the corner of her eye, too afraid to look at him fully. Their current closeness caused her to think of the last time they were so close, when she had had very little on in the way of clothing.

"So, have you decided on who your future husbands going to be yet?" He asked, catching Rory off guard as she tried to sneak a sly glance at him.

"Um, not yet," she managed, folding her arms over her chest.

Logan smiled before nudging her gently with his elbow. "Haven't found Prince Charming just yet then, Ace?" Rory gazed up at him, smiling softly.

"Nope."

Logan smiled to himself. He couldn't believe how uneasy she was acting around him. He knew there would be an awkwardness between them after recent events and all, but even then he hadn't expected this kind of reaction. It was as if she was afraid to be alone with him. For what reason he wasn't sure, but he did find it highly amusing. She was usually so confident and self assured. So to see her sitting there beside him biting nervously on her lower lip, a lip he had been having some vivid dreams about biting on himself a lot lately, he wondered what the problem was. And then it hit him. She liked him. Rory Gilmore liked him. She was nervous because she was in his presence, alone. He was making her nervous and what surprised him even more was the fact that he liked that he made her nervous. He liked it a lot.

The sight of her shivering beside him broke him from his stunning revelation. She was cold. The material of her dress was fairly delicate and she had no sleeves. He pulled out the flask from his inside pocket and then removed his suit jacket and wrapped it around her. She looked at him, surprised by his gesture but gratefully accepted.

"Thanks," she said softly, offering him a smile.

"Drink? It might help in the heating up process," he offered her the flask which she took hesitantly. He smirked as another thought popped into his head. "Although, I can think of something else we could do to keep us both warm."

Rory almost choked on the liquid as the meaning behind his words sank in. Her face turned crimson and she quickly handed him back his flask.

"Relax, Ace," he laughed at the look on her face. She truly was far too easy to wind up. "I was kidding. I mean, unless…"

Rory stared at him incredulously. Logan smiled cockily back at her. His playful, flirtatiousness making her feel very aware of her surroundings.

"Logan!" she whined playfully hitting him on the arm with her hand. As she did so, he caught her gaze and their eyes locked for a few seconds before they both smiled softly. Rory looked away first. With the tension slowly fizzling between them, Rory desperately tried to think of something to say in an effort to distract her from the fact that she was sitting alone, in the dark, in Logan Huntzberger's bedroom with Logan Huntzberger. Her stomach was doing cart wheels as she sat inches away from him. She needed to think of something to keep her mind focused.

"So…has Colin said anything to you?" she asked, relieved that her mind hadn't turned to complete mush.

"About what?

"About me. About why he broke up with me." She had been meaning to ask Logan about Colin for a while now. It had felt a little weird talking to him about her break up, she didn't want to put him in an awkward position, but needs must be met.

"Um, no. He hasn't said a word," he replied honestly. Colin had pretty much kept his reasons for breaking up with Rory to himself and Logan wasn't one for prying. That was Finn's job.

"Oh!" There was a long pause of silence. Logan furrowed his brow slightly as he watched her closely, full of curiosity.

"Why? What did he tell you?"

"Just that it wasn't working and that he thought it would be best for everyone if we went our separate ways." Rory shrugged simply. Logan laughed.

"Wow, that's nice and vague."

"Yeah." There was a pause. "I'm starting to think that he was just being polite, trying to spare my feelings."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't exactly have the best track record with guys. Dean, Jess, Colin…Peter. They all bailed on me. I mean Peter couldn't even make it through the first date," she explained, cringing slightly as she remembered her pathetic excuse for a love life. Logan smiled warmly, shaking his head at her self assessment.

"Did you ever think that maybe all those guys were just idiots?"

"What, even Colin?" Logan's smile grew.

"Especially Colin. If they can't see how special you are then that's their loss, not yours. Don't go blaming yourself. Believe me, guys are idiots. I should know."

"You think I'm special?" She blurted, having zoned out after hearing him describe her that way. Then she thought to herself, frowning slightly. "Special, like 'stop eating the paste', special?"

Logan smirked at her frowning face and pouting mouth. He couldn't believe how naïve she really was. "Ace, you are beautiful, your smart, your funny. Any guy would be lucky to have-"

She cut him off with a kiss, catching him off guard. By the time he realised what she was doing, and began revelling in the feel of her soft lips on his, she pulled away. He slowly opened his eyes to see her staring back at him with a look of horror on her face. He could tell she was regretting her actions instantly.

"I'm sorry, I don't…" She moved to get up from her place on the bed beside him but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down.

"Ace, you really don't have to apologise for kissing me," he assured her, his smile continuing to grow. Rory glanced briefly back at him but quickly turned away only for Logan to cup her cheek with his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"Though, if your going to kiss me, at least make it worth my while," he said before moving forward slightly, pulling her to him, and then crashing his lips down on hers.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory had no idea what had come over her to be so forward by kissing him like that. She had just been so touched by his words that she couldn't help herself. So she kissed him, allowing all those weeks of pent up frustration and attraction to flow out of her. But now, as his lips were on her own, it took her a few seconds to process what was happening. He was kissing her. His hands were cupping her face, warming her skin with his soft touch. His lips were placing slow, open mouthed kisses on hers waiting for her to respond and kiss him back. Which is exactly what she did.

She moved her body so she was closer to his, wrapping her arms around his neck as she began kissing him with fervour. His hands moved from her face down to her back, hugging her closer to him, pressing her hard against his chest. She could feel his heart thumping matched only by her own as he lay her back on the bed. Their lips still attached. Their breathing becoming slightly ragged.

Logan pulled away, allowing them both to regain some much needed oxygen. He caught her stare as he hovered above her. His arms resting alongside her head, supporting his weight as he lay on top of her. They gazed intently back at one another, silently contemplating what was happening, neither one quite believing what was going on. Logan brushed a strand of hair from her face as she ran her fingers through his already messy hair. Her vision moved from his lust-filled eyes settling on his lips. She smiled softly as she bit her lip gently before pushing her head upwards, capturing his lips with hers. He groaned a little as he gladly kissed her back. His hand moving from her face caressingly down to rest on her waist. Rory began tracing his mouth with her tongue, daringly, desperately seeking entrance. Which, he duly granted. The kiss grew deeper as he massaged her tongue with his own. Rory couldn't think straight. She was floored by the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue dancing with her own. The feel of his hands on her body causing her skin to tingle all over and they were both still fully clothed.

Suddenly, Rory felt something hard pressing against her thigh. As it dawned on her what it was, she felt her stomach flutter rapidly. Smiling into his kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter against her, moving her legs up alongside his waist so he was pressed firmly against her core. She wanted to feel more of him. Logan groaned at the feeling which delighted Rory, happy that she was affecting _him_ for a change. She slid her hands up, over his shoulders, removing his tie, aided only too willingly by Logan. Their lips lost contact briefly. Rory then pulled the ends of his shirt from his pants, quickly sliding her hands underneath roaming over the soft skin of his back. Logan stroked his hand over her leg caressingly, loving the feeling of her smooth skin under his fingers.

As their lips broke apart for a second time, taking in some air, Logan began tracing a pattern of light kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. He nibbled on her collarbone before sucking on her pulse point.

"Logan," she gave a breathy moan which seemed to bring him back to Earth. He knew they were venturing into dangerous territory and would soon be at the point of no return. But try as he might, he just couldn't find the strength to stop. He kissed her passionately, dipping his tongue into her mouth greedily. Her hands pushed his shirt higher over his back giving her better access to his hot, taut, muscular body.

"Rory," he growled, as he chewed on her lip before indulging in another frenzied, hungry kiss. His hand moved up, cupping her left breast over the flimsy material of her dress, squeezing gently.

"Mmm!" she moaned, loving the feeling of his hands on her.

"Rory!" she could hear a voice calling her name but it barely registered as her body responded to Logan's ministrations. She was on fire. She had completely lost all rational thought.

"Rory?" the voice was louder this time. Was she hearing voices in her head now? There was no way it was Logan speaking to her unless he had developed the ability to throw his voice, and besides he was currently preoccupied kissing her senseless.

"Rory, are you up here?" The voice was coming from outside, in the hallway. It was a familiar voice, a woman's voice.

"Rory?" It was her Grandmother's voice. At that realisation, Rory's eyes flew open. Logan was still busy nibbling on her neck, clearly too far gone to hear anything.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, her mind quickly filling with dread.

"Rory." Logan groaned breathily, his hand rising dangerously higher on her thigh.

"Logan!" she whispered into his ear, placing her hands over his but he just continued kissing her neck and chest probably thinking that she just wanted to slow things down between them. She tried tickling him gently but nothing was getting his attention. Nothing until there was a knock at the door.

"Rory? Are you in there?" Logan's head darted up in the direction of the door. He had a confused look on his face when he looked back at Rory who was still laying underneath him.

"Please tell me the door is locked!" he pleaded. He really didn't want to deal with Rory's grandmother walking in on them.

"I don't know." At that, he quickly moved off her allowing her to get up from the bed. He watched as she more or less, ran towards the door.

"I'm here, Grandma." she replied, quickly opening the door and sneaking out, not wanting Emily to see Logan.

"What are you doing up here, Rory? You're missing the party." Emily scolded her granddaughter for her disappearing act. She looked her over, noticing that her hair was a mess, and her make up was slightly smudged.

"Are you alright? You look flushed and your dress is all crumpled." Rory's face reddened as she thought for sure that Emily would figure out what was going on. She frantically searched her mind trying to think of something to placate her grandmother. Her mind was drawing a complete blank.

"Rory-"

"Headache!" she blurted out the first thing that came to her.

"What?" Emily frowned, noticing her strange behaviour.

"I had a headache. I just needed to close my eyes for a while. Somewhere quiet and dark," she said hesitantly.

"I heard groaning." Rory's eyes widened although she tried to hide it from Emily.

"It's a really, really bad headache." She explained as Emily eyed her suspiciously.

"Oh." Her expression softened at that. " Well Rory, you should have said. Are you feeling any better?"

"A little."

"Well, we'll just stay for the Toast and then we'll leave." Emily told her, concern covering her features making Rory feel guilty for worrying her.

She nodded before remembering Logan. "Um, Grandma? I forgot my purse. I'll meet you downstairs."

Emily regarded her for a second and then turned to leave. "Don't be too long."

Rory leaned against the door sighing with relief as she watched Emily wander down the hall in the opposite direction. She waited until she had turned the corner and then opened the door and slid back in. The room was still covered in darkness but she could see that the bed was empty.

"Logan!" she whispered, entering the room fully only to be grabbed from behind. She squealed slightly as a pair of soft, moist lips descended onto her neck, placing hot, hungry kisses down to her shoulders. The feel of his breath on her neck caused her eyes to roll back in her head, and she quickly spun around in his embrace, facing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he indulged in a long, passionate kiss. Rory lost her ability to think clearly as he began nibbling on her bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. That was her undoing, she deepened the kiss as Logan's hands were in her hair. Rory's hands were pulling at his shirt again, which he had tucked back into his pants in her brief absence. She was desperate to feel his hard, toned body.

"Rory." He groaned, separating in their desperate need for some air. Their breathing was heavy, their faces flushed.

All of a sudden, Rory remembered that she was supposed to go downstairs to meet her Grandparents. As Logan began kissing her neck, she knew that she had to stop this before it went any further. She had to stop it before Emily came back upstairs to see what was taking so long and catch them in a rather compromising position. Her head was telling her to be sensible and leave right away, but her traitorous body wouldn't listen. She was enjoying the feel of his hands roaming over her body, searchingly. His touch drove her wild with desire. More desire than she had ever experienced before in her life. She smiled into his kiss.

"Logan? I have to go." she whimpered, not really making any effort to pull out of his warm embrace. It felt so good to have him completely focused on her. Logan groaned, before catching her mouth in a hard kiss.

"So…go!" he growled softly into her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe. He made absolutely no effort to let her go. Instead he just held on tighter and kissed her even more passionately. He didn't want this to end any time soon. Kissing Rory was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Sure, he had kissed other girls, but with Rory it was different. He couldn't get enough of her. His head was buzzing and his heart was thumping loudly in his chest as he kissed her soft, alabaster skin. He basked in the feel of her tiny hands under his shirt, pressed against his body, roaming, searching. He loved her touch. It sent lightening bolts shooting through his system. He laughed to himself. Shy, unassuming, reserved Rory Gilmore had the ability to affect Logan Huntzberger, the biggest playboy at Yale, like no woman before her.

He continued placing hungry kisses over her neck. Rory tilted her head to the side to allow him better access.

"Logan!" she moaned as he bit her skin and then laved the reddened area with his tongue. He then started guiding her back towards the bed slowly. As the back of her knees came into contact with the edge of the bed, Rory's mind fluttered back to reality.

"Logan!" he kissed her hard on the mouth. "Logan, I really…" He kissed her again. "I have to go!"

Logan used all of his reserves to pull away from her. He stood before her, panting heavily. He looked her straight in the eye, smiling as he ran an unsteady hand through his messy hair.

"You have no idea what you do to me, Ace," he sighed, before his famous smirk returned to his face. Rory smiled back at him. She glanced him over noticing how dishevelled and un-Logan like he looked. She was glad to see she wasn't the only one in complete disarray. Although, he still managed to look incredibly sexy all the same. She felt herself blush as the rather prominent bulge in his pants caught her attention.

"I think I have some idea," she smirked teasing him playfully. Logan looked down to see himself standing to attention. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Well at least it didn't happen by itself this time." Rory looked at him slightly confused. "Just, get out of here."

Rory smiled as she moved towards him. She reached up, cupping his face with her hand, placing a chaste kiss on his already swollen lips. Before he could deepen it, she pulled away, smiling all the while.

"Down boy!" she whispered seductively into his ear and then headed towards the bedroom door. Logan felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as well as something else as she left the room. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was stunning and sexy as hell and he was in desperate need of a cold shower.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory smiled to herself as she slowly meandered through the hallway. She couldn't stop thinking about Logan. She had a dreamy look on her face. She was in a trance, a lust-filled trance. That would explain why she didn't notice her ex boyfriend walk towards her.

"Hey Rory!" greeted Colin politely. Rory snapped out of it and froze momentarily.

"Colin! Hi! How's it going?" she asked awkwardly, knowing full well that her face was now beetroot red.

"It's going good. I haven't seen you around in a while."

"Um, yeah. I've been busy. Listen I should really…" she needed to get away from there as quickly as she could before Logan came out of his room.

"Ok. I'll see you later," she smiled and then turned to leave. "Um, Rory?"

"Yeah?" she spun back towards him, her voice slightly higher pitched than normal. Colin smirked at her.

"You might want to cover that up." he informed her. Rory narrowed her eyes not knowing what he was talking about. Colin laughed and then pointed towards the mirror. Rory went over to look at herself to see what he was referring to. It didn't take her long to figure out what had caught his attention.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed completely horrified as she saw a rather large bruise on her neck. It was a hickey. Logan had given her a hickey. She was going to kill him when she saw him again. Quickly remembering that Colin, her ex-boyfriend and best friend of the giver of said hickey was standing a few feet away with a large smile on his face, she looked at him, trying to come up with something which would explain the situation. Thankfully, he didn't prolong the agony.

"I'll see you around, Rory." He smiled and then began walking in the direction she had just come from. He was going to Logan's room. She had to get out of there and quick.

RLRLRLRLRL

Logan had been standing in his room for a few minutes by himself trying to give himself some time to readjust. Eventually, everything returned to normal and he was soon able to rejoin the party in a reasonably respectful and dignified manner. He just had to make sure that he was nowhere in the vicinity of one, Rory Gilmore. Otherwise, he would not be held responsible for his or any other part of his body's actions or response.

He pulled on his suit jacket and tucked his shirt back into his pants for the third time that night. He wiped his hand over his mouth making sure he didn't have any of Rory's lipstick on him and then headed to the door. As he opened it, he was surprisingly greeted by a rather happy looking Colin.

"Hey," he said simply. Colin quickly rid himself of his smile and nodded in response.

"Hey, I've been looking all over the place for you. Your father wants to make a speech." Logan frowned and groaned at the prospect of having to listen to his father go on and on about the value of family or some other garbage he came up with. There was a pretty good chance that he would manage to work in a few pops at his irresponsibility or lack of ambition, just for kicks.

Colin noticed the look of dread on his friends face and laughed, patting him on the back.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Logan sighed and followed him through the corridor, resigned to his fate. Colin cajoled him along, his smirk returning to his face. As they came to the staircase, they stopped.

"So, you and Rory, huh?" Logan froze in his tracks, slightly dumbfounded as he watched Colin smile at him knowingly and continue down the stairs. _Crap! _he thought to himself.

"Logan! There you are!"


	6. Chapter 6: Rules Of Engagement

**AN: Update alert! Here it is, guys! Chapter six ready for you to read and enjoy. If you do enjoy it, please review. It let's me know that your still with me and that I'm on the right track. So, review, review, review. Also, this chapter sees the first appearance of Elias Huntzberger, Logan's grandfather. For the purpose of this story, he and Logan have a fairly good relationship. The point of which will be important further down the line. If I ever get down that line!**

**Thanks Megan. You always do a great job.**

**Disclaimer: I really don't own the show. I promise.**

When it's meant to be

Chapter Six: Rules Of Engagement

Logan was ready to jump. He was absolutely ready to throw himself from the second floor window of his parent's home if he had to listen to one more second of his mother scolding him for being so rude to dear, sweet Melissa on Friday night. He had only come home to pick up a few items from his room, but he should have known better than to use the front door to enter. He should have done what he usually did if he needed to make a quick getaway; climbed in the window using the tree at the side of the house. For some idiotic reason, today he had decided to use the door. _Stupid!_

"Logan, I just don't understand you. Melissa is perfect for you. You two would make a perfect couple," she vehemently informed him. Logan was sitting on his bed having been cornered by his mother, desperately trying not to roll his eyes. He had heard this speech before. It seemed his mother was on a constant loop. All she ever talked about was how wonderful a wife Melissa Fallon would make. "You were very rude just ditching her like that the other night. Where did you get too exactly? Or do I want to know?"

Logan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh as he remembered the last time he had been in his room. His mind rolled back to that Friday night as his mother continued yammering on at him. With his eyes shut, images of Rory sprung through his mind. Images of him and Rory on this very bed doing things he couldn't and wouldn't be explaining to his mother any time soon, flashed before him. He could still smell her, taste her lips on his. He could still feel her soft hands burning into his skin.

That night with Rory had been incredible…well, before they had been so rudely interrupted by Emily Gilmore. Then there was Colin, his best friend. A friend who had been loyal and supportive of him since he had learned how to walk, and how had he repaid him? He had repaid him by making out with his girlfriend, in his bedroom, at his parent's anniversary party. Correction, his ex-girlfriend. He only made out with his ex-girlfriend, not that that made it any better.

Colin hadn't said anything more to him about Rory that night. He had just given him a weird look and then drifted off into the crowd. Logan would've gone after him if it wasn't for his mother grabbing him and forcing him to indulge in the family pleasantries. He hadn't spoken to him since. He had called him a bunch of times but all he had gotten was his answering machine. So, either he was mad and ignoring him or he had fallen off the face of the planet.

He hadn't seen Rory since that night either. Although he wasn't sure whether it was because he had been avoiding her or because she was avoiding him. Probably a mixture of both, he figured.

"Logan, it's time you thought about settling down and Melissa is a great choice." Logan groaned as his mother stood before him, hands on hips, pacing back and forth.

"No. She's a perfect choice to you because you want me to marry some Stepford wife and live a miserable existence just like you and Dad." He told her angrily. He was so exhausted, listening to her go on and on. Shira folded her arms across her chest ignoring the comment about her marriage.

"Logan…" She started, but was cut off by a deep voice from behind her.

"Oh for goodness sake, Shira! Will you leave the boy alone? He's not interested in marrying that ridiculous girl. Stop pestering him." Shira turned around to see Elias, Logan's grandfather standing at the door, scowling back at her. Logan smiled, grateful for the intervention. "Why don't you go and yell at the maid for not polishing the silver correctly."

Logan looked at his grandfather and then at his mother, whose face was full of anger as she fled passed the old man muttering under her breath.

"Thanks Grandpa." Elias nodded and then entered the room fully.

"Don't mention it. Anything to see that woman knocked down off her high horse."

Logan remained seated as his grandfather moved around his room. He was immaculately dressed. His suit was sharp and tidy, his hair neat and in place as always. Even at the age of 80 something, he still liked to look his best. "I haven't seen you in a while. I looked for you at the party, but…" Elias laughed.

"I spent the night in the library. I wasn't going to watch those two parade around like they were love's young dream. The very idea that they would celebrate their sham of a marriage sickens me." Elias was not a big fan of Shira. In fact, Logan would go so far as to say he despised her and had always thought she wasn't worthy of his son and his family name. "Louisa will be rolling in her grave."

Logan laughed heartily at the memory of his beloved, late grandmother. She had died a few years ago of cancer and again, just like his grandfather, she had hated Shira with a passion.

Elias looked at his grandson with a warm smile and then joined him on the bed beside him. Logan turned to face him only to see his smile fade to a frown.

"Logan, I want you to promise me something," he said in a serious voice.

"Okay." Logan responded cagily. He wasn't sure what he wanted him to promise him.

"I'm getting on in years and I'm not going to be around forever."

"Are you kidding? You're still going to be here when you're a hundred and fifty," he said jokingly.

"I hope not." Elias smiled. "I want you to promise me that you won't give in to that woman. I want you to promise me that when you do finally settle down it won't be with someone like her or that damn Fallon girl."

Logan furrowed his brow, a half smile playing on his lips.

"I'm serious Logan. I don't want that for you. I don't want you to settle like your father did. I want you to live a life full and rich of everything I had for myself. I want you to meet someone who challenges you, someone who won't let you get away with anything. Someone who will keep you on your toes and love you like you deserve to be loved. Someone like your grandmother, not some damned society bimbo whose only goal in life is to find a rich husband." Elias finished. He placed his hand on Logan's shoulder in a firm hold.

"You, my dear boy, are meant for greatness. You have more talent in your little finger than your father ever had. Taking over the company isn't just your birthright. It is what you were meant to do and I firmly believe that you will be great at it, but only with the right person by your side. Someone who will compliment you, not just decorate your arm." Logan shifted on the bed, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"You know, when I met your grandmother, I absolutely despised her. I thought she was the devil incarnate." Logan laughed. "But then I grew to see her for the beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly strong woman she really was. I swear, I don't think I would have achieved anything if it wasn't for her." Elias breathed in deeply as he reminisced.

"I really do miss that woman." There was a long pause. "She used to spend hours in that library just reading. She always had her head stuck in a book."

Logan found himself nodding and smiling as his grandfather spoke. However, what surprised him was the fact that he wasn't thinking about his grandmother, but of Rory. He smiled as he pictured all the times he had seen Rory sitting alone with her books. It had never really occurred to him before just how similar Rory was to his grandmother. They were both strong minded and well educated women. They both shared a passion for reading and a huge thirst for knowledge. They both had the ability to brighten a room when they walked in. Logan's smile widened as he thought of Rory.

"What are you smiling about, boy?" asked Elias, noticing the goofy expression on his grandson's face. Logan looked up and smiled sheepishly back at him.

"Nothing. Um, I should probably get going, Grandpa," he said standing up and grabbing the bag on the floor. Elias eyed him sceptically. "I have a class, so…"

"Since when did you start going to class?" he teased him before standing beside him and patting him on the back.

Once arriving back at Yale, Logan figured he might as well show his face at the Newspaper. Not that he particularly wanted to, but he knew it would keep Mitchum off his back for a day or so and if a certain brown-haired, blue-eyed girl happened to be there, then all the better.

As he walked along the hallway dodging and weaving through the crowd as people flocked to their next class, he noticed a familiar head of dark hair a few feet in front of him. It was Colin. Logan quickened his pace as he tried to catch up with his friend.

"Colin!" he yelled, waving as the dark haired guy turned around. Colin waved back and stopped as Logan finally caught up with him.

"Hey," he said indifferently. Logan eyed him trying to suss out what he was thinking.

"Hey. Where have you been all weekend? I tried calling you, but…"

"Oh yeah. Sorry. I had a bit of a family emergency. My father is getting another divorce." They continued walking in stride as Colin explained his whereabouts.

"Another divorce? How many is that?" Logan furrowed his brows.

"Um, I think this will be divorce number…six." Colin said, considering his answer. It was hard for him to keep up sometimes.

"Wow! Six divorces. Your father's really pushing for the record, huh?"

"Yep!" Colin nodded.

"So…" he didn't know how to start the conversation he had been dreading since Friday night. Colin looked at him.

"So?"

"So, you haven't been avoiding me? You're not pissed?" he asked hesitantly. Colin frowned.

"Why would I be pissed at you?" Logan looked at him slightly incredulously. Had he forgotten?

"Um, you know." he sighed. "Rory."

"What about Rory?" Colin remained straight faced as Logan began to question whether his friend was suffering from amnesia or if Friday night actually happened at all.

"What are you talking about? Remember? Friday night?" Colin's poker face fell as he couldn't hold his grin back any longer. He loved watching Logan squirm. It was his favorite pass time.

"Oh, you mean the part about you making out with my ex-girlfriend and giving her a hickey." Logan froze in the middle of the hall as students bumped into him. Colin looked back at his friend and smirked. "Don't you think you're a little old to be giving girls love bites? It's kind of tacky, man."

At that, he continued down the hall leaving Logan to watch after him. "You coming or what?"

Logan shook his head and started after him; however, his slightly dazed state caused him to barge right into an oncoming brunette. The very one he had been avoiding so expertly.

"Sorry, I didn't see-" said Rory as she looked up. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as she gazed into the very familiar pair of brown eyes.

"Sorry, it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." Logan explained, not realising that his hands were unconsciously resting on her arms which were hugging a few books to her chest. He stared back at her, losing himself in her gaze.

"Um…" Rory tried to think of something to say, but she was all of a sudden struck dumb by the feel of his hands burning through the sleeves of her sweater.

From further along the hallway, Colin watched the rather awkward scene unfold with amusement. Never before had he seen his lifelong friend and fellow playboy become so unsure of himself around a girl. He shook his head and made his way back over to the pair.

"Hey, Rory!" At the sound of Colin's voice, Logan jumped quickly, removing his hands from Rory's arms as if he had been electrocuted. Rory spun around and smiled nervously at her ex-boyfriend.

"Colin! Hey, how's it going?" Her voice resembling the same high pitched jumpy voice from the party. He smirked as he noticed the strategically placed scarf tied around her neck. Colin tried desperately to stop himself from laughing as the two of them nervously fidgeted and desperately tried to avoid making eye contact with the other.

"Good. It was some party the other night, huh?" he said mischievously, watching as both their faces paled at the mention of the party. Rory's eyes widened as her previously white face took on a lighter shade of crimson. Logan looked up at Colin and frowned. Deciding that he had had enough, he brushed past Rory and grabbed Colin's arm.

"We should get going. Bye." He fought the urge to look back and apologize for being so cold towards her, but knew he had to get out of there. As he and Colin headed in the opposite direction, Colin started laughing. Logan looked at him as if he were nuts.

"What the hell could possibly be so hilarious?" he asked, his annoyance beginning to surface. Colin just kept on laughing.

"You. The biggest player in town turned into some nervous little school kid because of some girl." He continued laughing, finding much amusement in Logan's less than stellar display in front of Rory. "I never thought I'd see the day. I mean, I knew you liked her but…" He smirked. "You've got it bad," he stated bursting into hysterics. Logan frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about? And why aren't you mad? You should be trying to punch my lights out right about now." He had seriously considered the idea of wearing some type of protective gear when finally confronting his oldest friend. Colin eventually stopped laughing and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just say that I saw it coming," he managed before breaking out in laughter again at the confused look on Logan's face. He dropped his hand from his shoulder and then walked away. "Come on. I promised Finn we'd meet him." Logan turned to look behind him, but she was gone. He sighed and then followed after his friend.

Rory had been sitting at her table in the library, staring into the distance for a while now. She was supposed to be studying, but her mind kept drifting off. She sat opposite of Marty with her chin resting in her hand and her eyes closed thinking about Logan. He was all she had been able to think about all weekend. She had replayed Friday night in his room over and over again in her head. She had even dreamt about it, and in those dreams they hadn't been interrupted by her grandmother.

She sighed to herself remembering the feel of his body weight pressed down on her. She smiled softly as she remembered the feel of Logan's hands gliding over her. His warm, passion-filled kisses sucking the soul right out of her. She had never felt so much passion and desire for anyone before. She had completely lost herself with him and she couldn't believe how incredible it felt.

However, after their brief encounter that morning, she was beginning to feel a little disappointed and angry at him for snubbing her and walking away. She knew it was awkward, what with Colin being there, but even still. He had been so cold and stand offish. She wasn't sure whether it was all to do with Colin's appearance or if he was having second thoughts about them hooking up.

"So, I was thinking maybe we could go get some coffee later…after. If you wanted to?" Marty asked her nervously. He had been sitting, rereading the same page for the last ten minutes trying to work up the courage to ask her. Finally managing to look at her, he noticed she wasn't even paying attention. She had her eyes closed and was miles away, deep in thought. He sighed. "Rory?"

"Huh?" she asked distractedly before finally snapping out of it. "Did you say something?" Marty shook his head and slumped back in his seat, defeated. Rory sat up and looked at her books spread out before her. She realised she should probably try to stop thinking about Logan and get some work done; she did have a test in a couple of days. Pushing her chair out, she stood up and headed for the stacks. "I'll be right back."

She stood alone in the stacks, reading the back of the book she had found. Deciding it wasn't the one she was looking for, she replaced it on the shelf. Slowly walking along, she ran her finger over the old, worn copies before finding one that caught her attention. She pulled it out and began leafing through it when, suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey Ace! You're not going to smell that are you?" Rory spun around in surprise. She placed her hand over her chest as her heart thudded furiously underneath.

"Logan!" she raised her voice slightly before remembering she was in the library. "What are _you_ doing in here?"

Logan smirked at her as she felt her heart rate return to normal. Or as close to normal as it could get when Logan was around. She half turned to put the book back on the shelf and then peered at him while frowning. She folded her arms across her chest as she faced him.

"I just thought I'd do some investigating," he whispered in a husky voice, while taking a step towards her, leaving a paper thin gap between them. He lifted his arm and placed it above her head leaning against the stacks, preventing her from getting away from him as she stepped backwards, pressing her back against the bookshelves. She was trapped. Her breathing sped up rapidly due to his close proximity. Her chest began to heave as she felt his hot breath on her face. She tried to gain some composure and tried to form a rational thought; however, they were both hard to come by as she felt his hard chest pressed against hers.

"What, what were you…investigating?" she managed through heavy breaths. Logan moved his face even closer if that were at all possible. His lips brushed over her ear and he gently kissed her cheek and forehead as she closed her eyes. His other hand rose up above her head, fully trapping her between his rock hard body and her beloved books. He lowered his mouth to her neck and placed a soft kiss on the scarf which was currently tied around her neck, preventing him from reaching her soft skin with his lips.

"I was investigating…the results of my getting slightly carried away…the other night." He moved his hand and began unravelling her scarf, lightly skimming her breast in the process. "I hear I left my mark."

Rory opened her eyes to stare into his intense gaze. His eyes were full of lust and desire which she was sure was mirrored in her own. Logan smiled softly and then removed her scarf to reveal a slightly faded bruise on her neck. His smile widened and then he bent his head and gently placed his lips over it. He kissed her neck causing Rory to whimper as she allowed him better access.

Completely forgetting where they were, Rory moaned as she felt his tongue trace over the already reddened area of her neck. She moved her hands up over his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer against her. Logan lifted his head and captured her lips in a greedy, passionate kiss. Immediately she deepened it, desperate to feel his tongue ravaging her mouth again. She ran her fingers through his messy hair as Logan's arms wrapped around her. After a few seconds they broke apart trying to gain some oxygen. Rory, missing the contact, moved forward and began nibbling on his bottom lip. Logan smirked at her eagerness and indulged her by opening his mouth to her. They stood like that for several minutes, completely lost in one another, until someone coughed behind them.

"Umm, Rory?" Rory heard a voice calling her, but the feel of Logan's warm, moist mouth on hers had turned her brain to mush. Logan was in a similar state of obliviousness but as he continued kissing her, he began to feel a little unnerved, like someone was watching them. Opening his eyes, he noticed Marty standing, looking slightly devastated by what he was witnessing. Logan removed his hands from her waist and tried to pull away but Rory just clung to him even tighter.

"Ace!" he spoke into their kiss, trying to catch her attention. "Rory." At the sound of her name, she stopped and looked up at him, trying to catch her breath. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were clouded over.

"What's wrong?" she asked panting heavily. Logan looked down at her and cupped her cheek trying to get her to focus.

"We have company." He lightly turned her face to see Marty standing before them. Quickly she sobered up and dropped her hands from Logan's chest. Logan stepped away from her and ran his hand through his hair trying to regain his composure.

"Marty, umm, hey!" Logan looked back at her as she tried to readjust. He laughed seeing how dishevelled and out of it she was. Rory frowned at him and then let her gaze return to Marty.

"Hi, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were-"

"Don't worry, Marty. Besides I think Ace here could use a little break. Time to cool down, right?" Logan smirked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a possessive gesture. Rory was torn between enjoying the feeling of being close to Logan and seeing the hurt look on her friend's face. However, hearing the tone in Logan's voice, she looked up and noticed that he was enjoying rubbing their latest tryst in Marty's face. "I guess she just can't get enough of me," he said smugly. "So, if you don't mind…"

"Right! Umm, sorry. I should get back." Marty pointed behind him as he turned around and walked away. Rory watched him and then immediately shrugged Logan's arm from her shoulders and moved away from him.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded, a stern look appearing on her face. Logan smirked and moved towards her placing his hands on her waist.

"What? It got rid of him, didn't it?" he informed her playfully and then quickly stole a chaste kiss. Rory pushed him back.

"You made him feel uncomfortable and unwelcome."

"He _was_ unwelcome. We were kind of in the middle of something," he said, his voice growing deeper as he kissed her neck. He trailed a path of slow, enticing kisses up over her neck. Rory felt her resolve weaken and her pulse race as Logan began sucking on her sensitive spot.

"Logan!" she protested, rather meekly, running her hands up over his shoulders. Logan pulled her tight against him as she moaned into his kiss. They kissed as though it was the end of the world. Hot, greedy kisses which burnt to the core. She tried to push him away but he just held on tighter. His hands roamed over her body warming her with his touch. "Logan."

Logan pulled away when the need for some oxygen became too great to ignore. He leaned his forehead against hers as they both panted heavily. As the oxygen finally returned to her brain, Rory began to think straight, breaking free of the haze which had clouded her judgement. She remembered where she was and gently pushed him away from her as he moved in for round three.

"Logan, stop." Logan frowned as she moved her head away from his. He grabbed her hand and she pulled it out of his grasp. "I can't do this. Here!" she panted, brushing her hair from her face.

"Ace, come on!" He tried to persuade her with a kiss but she ducked under his arm and moved away. Logan sighed in frustration.

"In case you hadn't noticed this is a library. People come here to study, not to grope each other in the stacks," she explained in a hushed voice, trying to stand firm in her refusal. More than anything, she really wanted to just throw herself into his arms and let him do whatever he wanted to her, but she refrained.

"Well, maybe they should. It might liven this place up a little." At the look on her face, Logan conceded. "So let's go back to my place or your place. We can continue where we left off."

Rory rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Logan! You should go. I have to get back to studying. Some of us actually _want _to pass their classes," she huffed. Logan's smirk faded a little. He moved closer towards her and immediately she took a step backwards. As annoyed as she was with him, she figured keeping her distance was a sensible idea.

"Let me get this straight! You would rather go and study with _Marty_, than spend some quality time alone? With me?" he scratched his head in confusion as he tried to understand. He had never been given the brush off in order to go study before. In fact, he had never been given the brush off full stop before. This was a first for Logan Huntzberger and he wasn't sure that he liked it very much.

"I have to go and apologise to Marty for your behaviour," she told him firmly. Logan frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What the hell are you talking about? My behaviour?"

"You were an ass."

"I wasn't an ass. I'm sorry if I don't like being watched making out with you by guys who are obviously in love with you. It's kind of a turn off. I mean I'm all for exhibitionism usually, but that just felt a little weird." Rory rolled her eyes and sighed. She had had this argument with Colin regarding Marty and whatever affections he may have for her.

"Marty is not in love with me. He is my friend. That's it," she explained forcefully. Logan just shook his head frustrated by her inability to see what kind of effect she had on guys. He smiled.

"What? Why are you smiling at me?" Logan moved towards her. He lifted his hands to cup her face and then placed a soft, deep kiss on her lips. Rory melted and immediately tried to deepen it further only for Logan to pull away.

"You have no idea do you?"

"About what?" her brain was taking a while to refocus after another mind blowing kiss. Logan smiled again and brushed her hair from her face.

"Marty is completely and totally in love with you, Ace!" Rory frowned and pushed away from him, tired talking about this with him.

"So, okay. Maybe he has more than friendly feelings towards me," she conceded. "So what? What does that have to do with you? Why do you care? Why are you acting like a jealous boyfriend?" she asked lowering her voice so no one else could hear their conversation. Logan frowned at her last question. He had no idea what she was talking about. He wasn't acting like a jealous boyfriend. He wasn't jealous of Marty. That was just ridiculous. Logan didn't do 'jealous', especially not of loser guys like Marty.

"You think I'm jealous?" he asked incredulously. Rory shrugged. Logan, for some reason felt angry at her accusation.

"Well, if the cap fits," she said simply. Logan laughed and then moved ever closer to her. He looked her straight in the eye and lowered his voice to a dangerous growl.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ace!" And then he brushed passed her and disappeared leaving Rory feeling a mixture of emotions. At the top of the list were anger, lust, and a little bit hurt by his rather harsh dismissal.

"Finn, in some states this would be considered stalking," stated Colin as he sat across the table from his Australian friend in the Branford Dining Hall. Finn was peeking over Colin's textbook which he held up to cover his face. They had been there for over half an hour while Finn had been 'observing' Rosemary, this week's redhead of choice. He had been besotted/obsessed with her since she had turned down his advances at the party the week before and Finn was determined to wear her down. He loved a challenge.

"I'm not stalking her; I'm just waiting to make my move." Finn explained as his eyes remained glued to the redheaded beauty. From beside Colin, Logan groaned. He lifted his head from the table and sighed.

"Will you make it already? Some of us have lives to get back to," he said annoyed at being dragged into another one of Finn's schemes. Finn looked at his friend.

"What crawled up _your_ butt, mate?" Logan slouched back in his chair and huffed to himself, ignoring him. Colin smirked, knowing full well what was making him so cranky.

"Ignore Logan, Finn. He has woman problems. One woman in particular." Logan rolled his eyes as Finn dropped the book, eyes wide full of interest.

"Oh really? Anyone I know?"

"Umm, I believe he calls her 'Ace'?" Colin turned in his seat eyeing Logan for confirmation. Logan gave him a dirty look making Colin burst into laughter.

"So you finally came to your senses huh?" Finn spoke while watching Rosemary laughing with her friends. "It's about bloody time!"

Logan shook his head in frustration. "There is nothing going on with Rory and I. We made out that's it."

"When? How come I didn't know you hooked up with Gilmore?" pouted Finn feeling out of the loop.

"We didn't hook up. We made out. A little. It was on Friday night."

"Nice!"

"And today in the library." Logan sneaked in quickly hoping they wouldn't hear him. No such luck. Colin's smile faded into a frown and Logan felt a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He knew Colin wasn't as cool about him and Rory as he made out he was.

"You actually got her to make out with you in the library? That place is like her church. She would never make out in front of her sacred books." Colin told him, slightly impressed by his powers of persuasion. Logan stared at him incredulously. He couldn't quite believe he was actually having this conversation with Colin.

"Oh Logan can be very persuasive. You know that Colin!" Finn commented. "Particularly with the Sheila's." Colin shrugged in response. Logan leaned forward and picked up a French fry from his plate, suddenly feeling very hungry. He watched Colin as he sat in silence, deep in thought. After a few minutes, Colin spoke up.

"So what exactly is the deal with you two, then?" he enquired sipping on his coke. Logan squirmed in his seat. He had been dreading that specific question. Purely because he didn't know the answer and after Rory and his little disagreement in the library, he was even more in the dark. "Are you dating or…?"

"NO!" he blurted out immediately and rather loudly, causing some of the people at the next table to look in their direction. "I mean, I don't think…no, we're not…"

Colin and Finn looked on as Logan tried to explain his and Rory's situation without much success. Logan sighed and downed the contents of his bottle of water. He straightened up in his chair and looked Colin straight in the eye. "You're my best friend. I would never…She's your ex…I couldn't. That would be breaking the rules."

Colin's frown returned as he tried to understand what Logan was talking about. "What rules?"

"You know? The rules!" he said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The code. The guy code. You don't date your best friend's girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, or sister or mother or-"

"-the girl you know your best friend likes? Because if that's a rule then we're even. I already broke that rule." Colin informed him, cutting him off as he spoke. Logan eyed him sceptically, not knowing what he meant.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Logan!" Colin couldn't believe how dense his friend really was. "I knew you liked Rory. But I knew that _you_ being _you_, you wouldn't do anything about it. Then after her grandmother set us up and we hung out a little I got to see what was so special about her and I liked her. So I asked her out, and believe me nobody was as surprised as I was when she said yes. But I knew pretty much right away that I wasn't the one she wanted to be with. I was just someone to pass the time with until you came to your senses."

"Colin…"

"Do you remember that stunt you convinced us to pull on her in class that time?" Logan nodded. "Do you remember her reaction?" Logan frowned as he thought back. "She got _so_ mad. But she wasn't mad at me, her boyfriend. She was mad at you, and you were devastated when you thought she hated you. That's when I knew."

"I wasn't devastated."

"Yeah you were. I saw _her_ over the top reaction to you followed by _your_ over the top reaction to her. I mean, Logan think about it? You invited her to that LDB event-"

"I didn't exactly invite-"

"You were there trying to cheer her up when that idiot boyfriend of hers dumped her in front of everyone. Then when I broke up with her, you were there again."

"I was just trying to be a friend."

"You call her 'Ace'. When have you ever given a girl a nickname, mate?" Finn piped in causing Logan to glare back at him.

"So, I call her 'Ace'. So what? It doesn't mean I'm secretly in love with her!" He was starting to get irritated by his friend's suggestions that his feelings for Rory ran deeper than he was aware.

"She was all you could talk about for weeks after she bawled you out in front of her dorm room." Finn remembered.

"You haven't been with another girl, to the best of my knowledge, in ages." Colin finished. Logan's anger dissipated slightly as Colin's words sunk in. He was right. He hadn't been with another girl; except for that girl at the pub that time, but he had stopped it before anything actually happened. His mind was constantly on the one specific girl his friends were trying to convince him meant more to him than just a fling. He sighed as realisation dawned on him. They were right; she _did_ mean so much more to him than just the girl he made out with on two separate occasions. She was the girl he couldn't get out of his mind. She was the girl who kept him on his toes and made him smile. She was the girl who, when he kissed her, he wanted to spend the rest of his life kissing. He was falling for Rory Gilmore.

He couldn't fall for her. He wasn't ready to even think about getting into something serious. His personal life was the one area in his life in which his parents had no say and he was determined to keep it that way. He would be graduating in a few months and then his life would be officially over. So he had sworn to himself to have as much fun as he possibly could and as much as he loved spending time with Rory, he wasn't ready to give up his last remaining freedom and commit to one woman. He couldn't do it.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, the brunette in question entered the dining hall, trailed by Marty. Logan frowned and Colin and Finn followed his gaze noticing Rory. They looked at each other before laughing. Logan looked back at them unaware of what they found so amusing.

"Oh yeah. You and Rory. There's nothing going on there. That's why you are in the middle of skinning poor Marty alive with your eyes."

"What are you talking about?" His gaze was drawn back towards Rory as he watched her laughing at something Marty had told her. _God, he was annoying!_

"If looks could kill, he would be six feet under by now." Colin told him.

"You are totally drawing him daggers, mate." Finn added.

"What? I just don't get it. He's always hanging around her. Are you telling me that Marty never bugged you when you were with Rory?"

"Nah! I had bigger fish to worry about," said Colin giving him a look as he referred to Logan.

At that, Colin and Finn pushed out their chairs and left Logan at the table staring unashamedly at Rory as she sat down at a table with Marty. She glanced in his direction briefly but quickly looked away. Logan shook his head in frustration and let out a deep sigh. He had to get her out of his head, now. The best way he could think of achieving this would be…

"Hey Logan!" Logan looked up to see a very attractive brown haired girl standing beside him. She was smiling warmly back at him and giving him the look. It was the look he knew so well. This girl could help keep his mind off Rory.

Rory was beginning to panic. She had less than twenty-four hours before her English Lit test and nowhere to study. She had been frantically searching the campus trying to find somewhere remotely peaceful for almost an hour to no avail. Now she was ready to freak out.

It was her own fault. She shouldn't have left everything to the last minute. She had tried to study the day before, but she was too distracted by a certain rather infuriating boy. It didn't help matters when she had spotted him in the dining hall talking to some girl. After that, she had felt too bummed to study and so decided to have herself a movie night with all the trimmings. Rory had meant to do some studying the night before but she had fallen into a sugar coma and didn't resurface until the next morning.

So, now she was running around like a headless chicken on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. That's probably why she didn't notice the oncoming blonde boy, who had been semi responsible for her predicament, before it was too late.

"Hey Ace! Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked, bending down to help her pick up the books which had crashed to the floor when she ran into him. Rory groaned and got down on her knees to gather her belongings.

"I can't talk right now, Logan," she said harshly as she stood up. Logan handed her a couple of books and frowned.

"What's going on?"

"I just…I'm going to flunk out of Yale. That's what's going on!" she exploded as her patience frayed.

"What?"

"I have a test tomorrow and I can't find anywhere to study."

"What about the library?"

She glared at him. "The library is closed. They found asbestos. So its closed 'til further notice.'"

"Well, why don't you go study at the dorm?"

"I tried but Paris and Doyle are there and they were having the mother of all arguments at first; however, that quickly turned into the mother of all making up sessions. I couldn't concentrate, the walls are too thin." Logan cringed at the thought of Paris and Doyle…

"I was going to go home to Star's Hollow but it's the town charity clothes drive and my mom always volunteers to sort out all the clothes which means the place becomes a dumping ground with no space for me or my books." She explained. Logan stood, contemplating her predicament for a brief moment before looking at his watch. He was running late as it was, he was pretty sure Cassandra wouldn't like being made to wait. As he thought of his date, an idea popped into his head which would solve her problems.

"Here!" he said handing her a key. Rory furrowed her brows and eyed him sceptically.

"What?"

"Take this. You can use my place to study." Logan informed her. Rory looked at him and then at the key.

"I…"

"I won't be back 'til late so you'll have the whole place to yourself." He placed the key into her hand and smiled warmly back at her. Rory remained puzzled but moved by his suggestion.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! You need a place to study. I have a place. It works out perfect," he informed her. "On one condition: No snooping. Leave your investigative tendencies at home."

Rory smiled brightly back at him. "Do you have something to hide, Huntzberger?"

"No. You know me, Ace! I'm an open book. I just like my privacy."

"Well, I promise not to go looking for any skeletons in your closet," she assured him teasingly. He eyed her sceptically and smiled.

"Hmm!"

"Well, I should get going. Thank you so much for this Logan. You are literally saving my academic life here. I owe you my first born."

"I'll just settle for you buying me a drink sometime, Ace!" Rory smiled again and then moved forward to place a chaste kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, Logan remembered that he was actually on his way to pick up his date.

"I better…" he pointed over his shoulder and then turned away from her. Rory watched him walk away and then, stuffing his key in her pocket, she headed to his apartment.

She had been studying in Logan's apartment non stop for the last three hours and decided to give herself a well earned break. Standing in the kitchen, she waited while the fresh pot of coffee brewed. Rory had resisted the urge to go 'snooping' as he had put it, so far. Although she desperately wanted to. However, she refrained from doing so, with the exception of the cupboards in the kitchen and his fridge. She always thought that you could tell a lot about a person by the contents of their refrigerator. His was full of fresh fruit and other healthy options, meaning that he liked to look after himself. There wasn't much in the way of junk food except for a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream which she was itching to polish off.

As her coffee finished brewing, Rory poured herself a cup and headed back to the couch in the living room. Her books were spread out all over the coffee table as well as the couch and the floor. She had a lot of books. She picked one up and made herself more comfortable on the couch. She lay back only to feel something underneath her. Sitting back up she pulled out the offending item. It was a black shirt which Logan had discarded. She quickly smelled the shirt taking in his scent and smiled stupidly to herself. Realising how pathetic she was - she was sniffing his clothes, for crying out loud - she folded the shirt and lay it on the chair across from her. As she sat back down, she heard the front door open. Looking up in anticipation of seeing those familiar brown eyes smiling back at her, she was disappointed when she was greeted by a different pair of brown eyes. It was Finn.

"Hello Love!" he said in a surprised tone. He looked around the room expecting to see Logan. "What are you doing here?"

Rory pulled herself up from the couch and walked back into the kitchen to fill up her cup with more coffee. "Logan let me use his place to study," she explained as she re-entered the living room.

"So, he knows you're here? You didn't break in and go through all his stuff?" he asked scratching his head. "You're not going to boil his bunny are you?"

"Um no, Finn. I think you're confusing _me_ with _you_." Finn shrugged and went into Logan's bedroom. He came back out a few seconds later holding a white shirt. Rory frowned as he stopped before her looking guilty.

"What? He lets me borrow his stuff all the time." Rory looked at his suspiciously. "He borrowed my shirt for his date tonight."

At the mention of the word 'date', Rory's head shot up, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"He's on a date?" she asked. Finn looked at her sympathetically.

"You didn't know? Crap!" he felt horrible as he could see her visibly become disappointed. "I'm sorry, love."

"No. Hey Finn don't worry about it. Logan can date whomever he wants to. It's absolutely none of my business," she replied trying to sound upbeat but failing miserably. Finn came closer towards her and put his arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"I don't think he's all that into her. I think he's just in denial right now." He kissed the top of her head as she leaned into him. "Don't worry though, love. It won't be long before he figures out you're the girl for him."

Finn squeezed her shoulder and then headed for the door. "I better go. Oh, and don't tell Logan I was here. He'll kill me if he finds out I borrowed his stuff."

Rory laughed as he waved and then shut the door behind him leaving her alone with her thoughts and her books.

This was a first, returning home from a date before eleven o'clock. It had never happened before for Logan. He was usually a seal the deal type of guy; however, he had pretty much spent the entire night clock watching while his date, Cassandra, rambled on and on. He had never looked forward to a date ending as much as he had tonight. It wasn't that Cassandra hadn't been a charming enough companion for the evening, she just wasn't the one he wanted to be spending his night with. For some reason, he just couldn't stop thinking about Rory. The idea that she was back at his place made him feel anxious to join her. Eventually he had to make up an excuse to end the date early, claiming to have a headache.

By the time he got back to his place, he felt like he was going to explode. His stomach was fluttering like crazy, a mixture of nerves and excitement. He had never met a girl before who could effect him the way she could. It was more the anticipation that was frazzling his nerves. He desperately hoped she was still there when he got back.

Unlocking the door with his spare key, he quietly entered his apartment to find it covered in darkness. Immediately, he felt his heart sink, assuming she had gone home. However, as he walked further into the room, the light from the window drew his attention to the couch as he saw her lying, fast asleep. Unable to stop himself from smiling he moved closer. She was out for the count and looked incredibly peaceful as her eyes fluttered in rhythm with her breathing. Her soft brown hair was splayed out over the couch and her arms were wrapped around her torso, hugging herself. He smiled to himself. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life than the vision of his Ace lying fast asleep. She looked like an angel.

He quietly pulled the throw from the back of the couch and covered her with it and then headed to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. By the time he returned, she was still dead to the world. He noticed all of her books lying around the floor and moved some of them from the coffee table allowing himself a space to sit and watch her. He couldn't help it. He just loved watching her sleep.

Itching to reach out and touch her, he couldn't resist, and so he brushed a strand of hair from her face as gently as possible but she began to stir anyway.

"Mmm," she moaned as her breath hitched. "Coffee!" Logan couldn't help himself from laughing as she spoke. Her eyes still closed, the first word out of her mouth was 'coffee'. _That's my Ace!_

Her eyes slowly opened. She smiled a sleepy smile, while yawning as she saw who sat before her. Stretching out her arms she sat up slightly. "Hey you!" Her voice croaked.

Logan couldn't help the big goofy grin from appearing on his face as he smiled back at her. "Hey Ace. Sleep well?"

"Mmm, like the dead."

"Coffee?" he asked, offering her the extra cup from beside him. Rory's eyes widened and she quickly pulled herself up from her horizontal position, clutching for the hot cup of coffee.

"Thank you," She murmured, taking a big gulp. Logan watched her intently. Her hair was messy and she looked slightly frazzled, but hot all the same.

"So did you get all your studying finished?"

"Yep!" she said excitedly before laying back down. "I am going to ace this test. In fact, I'm going to set the curve."

Logan laughed at her confident act. Only a few hours ago, she was panicking and now she was perfectly serene. He would never figure this girl out.

"That's my Ace!" At the mention of her nickname she frowned a little and sat up again, facing him.

"So…how was your date?" she asked hesitantly, not really sure whether she wanted to know the answer. It was Logan's turn to frown at her question.

"How did you…?"

"Finn dropped by. He let it slip," she informed him casually trying to play it off like it didn't bother her, while deep down it was killing her thinking of him out with another girl.

"Rory, I…" He was desperately searching his mind to think of something to say but he was drawing a blank.

"Logan, don't worry about it. It's fine. It's none of my business who you date." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince that she was fine, Logan or herself.

"Ace..." he started, but his voice trailed off until there was silence between them. Deciding a change in topic was needed, he took a sip of his coffee and spoke.

"So, did you make good use of your time here alone to find any skeletons in closets, or dead bodies hidden under the floor boards?" he asked teasingly, knowing full well that she had. Rory blushed a little as she tried to hide the guilty smile from her face.

"No. Would I do something like that?" she asked innocently.

"Umm, yes," he answered quickly. Rory pouted and rolled her eyes.

"Okay fine. I may have looked through some of your kitchen cupboards and the refrigerator. But that's it, I swear." She raised her hands up in innocence. Logan smirked.

"Yeah right!" He didn't believe her for a second. There was no way she could spend the night, by herself in his apartment and not go snooping. It wasn't in her nature. However, she looked cute as she tried to deny it.

"Logan, I swear! I didn't-" he cut her off with a kiss. Rory quickly melted into it and kissed him back. Logan pulled back after a few seconds and brushed her hair behind her ear in an intimate gesture. Rory slowly opened her eyes and smiled shyly back at him. He couldn't help himself, he moved in quickly for round two. He captured her lips with his. This time the kiss was less delicate. It was full of passion as he nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. Rory leaned into the kiss and brought her hands up to cup his face. Logan rested his hands on her thighs, gently stroking them up and down over her jeans. As he tried to deepen the kiss, it was Rory's turn to pull away, taking deep breaths trying to regain some composure.

She looked up at Logan catching his gaze. She saw so much lust and desire in his eyes. It scared her a little; however, what surprised her was that she wasn't scared of _him_, she was scared of herself. She was scared because she wanted him. She wanted to be with him and she didn't care that they weren't in a committed relationship. She didn't care that he was her ex-boyfriend's best friend, or that he had just been out on a date with another girl. She just wanted to be with Logan, to take a chance. Things between them had been building since the second time they met and she was tired of fighting it. She didn't want to fight it anymore. She wanted to give in; give in to him.

Logan noticed her frown as her busy mind buzzed away. Trying to bring her back to him, he leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the lips before lacing his fingers through hers.

Rory smiled at him, loving the feel of his hands in hers. She cleared her throat and then began to tell Logan how she felt.

"Umm, Logan. I…" she sighed. "I'm not, I'm not the type of girl who sleeps with a guy…I mean, I'm not a one night stand kind of girl." Logan smiled and furrowed his brows at her statement slightly confused as to where she was going with this.

"Yeah! I kind of figured that Ace," he spoke softly as their fingers intertwined.

"What I mean is that I don't usually just throw myself at guys."

"Rory, I'm not expecting anything here," he assured her in all sincerity. Rory smiled as she nervously chewed on her lower lip. "I don't mind taking things slow. I kind of like just kissing you."

"That's really sweet," she blushed. "But ever since the party, I've been having these dreams. And in my dreams, my grandma doesn't interrupt us," she whispered slowly. Logan's smirk grew as he began to understand what she was talking about.

"Oh really?" he asked raising his eyebrows suggestively. Rory felt her face redden with embarrassment. "So, what exactly happens in these dreams of yours?"

"Well, you kiss me…" Logan leaned forward, and kissed her softly.

"Like this?" his voice a whisper. Rory smiled as she nodded in response. "Then what?"

"Then you…" her voice trailed off as he kissed her again. Rory moved her hands from his and ran her fingers through his hair as their kiss grew more intense. She slid her hands down to the hem of his shirt and began tugging. She pulled it up over his head causing him to breakaway for a few seconds so she could remove the offending item. Once it was rid of, he captured her lips again in a frenzied attack. Rory ran her hands caressingly over his back, loving the feeling of his muscles moving under her fingertips. Logan placed his hands on her thighs as she pulled him closer. Rory fell back on the couch, wrapping her arms around Logan's neck. He positioned himself above her as he moved his lips to her neck, sucking and nibbling on her pulse point, making her moan. He moved so he was now firmly on top of her, his legs tangled with hers, as he placed soft kisses over the exposed area of her chest. He ran his hand down her side and under her shirt which had ridden up slightly. He stroked his palm over her stomach as Rory moaned into their kiss.

"Logan..." The sound of her moans was driving him insane. He wanted to feel more of her but the couch was rather narrow, making it awkward to continue on the way they were. As he felt her hands move towards his belt buckle, he quickly pulled away and sat up. Rory slowly opened her eyes, frowning as she missed the contact. Her breathing was erratic as her blue eyes looked up at him, a mixture of lust and confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice a little shaky as though she was going to burst into tears at any moment. Logan didn't allow her time to think as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up off the couch. He led her into his bedroom, not speaking a word. Once inside, he stopped and pulled her into his embrace, capturing her lips in a fierce, hungry kiss. His tongue immediately seeking entrance, and Rory duly obliged. She wrapped her arms around his neck as their tongues danced together. Logan moved his hands, frantically over her body, groping, desperate to feel every inch of her. As they moved over her back, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. Rory raised her arms above her head before quickly plastering her mouth to his. Her nimble fingers softly stroked over his back sliding downwards. She placed the palm of her hands flat over his taut stomach before quickly moving them back to his belt buckle. As she hastily got rid of that, Logan set about removing her bra. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms firmly around her. He managed to unhook the clasp fairly quickly - he did have plenty of practice in that area - and then rolled the straps down her arms. Rory let the lacy material slide off of her allowing him to view her in all her wonderful naked - well half naked - glory. His eyes darkened with lust and desire as he cupped her breast gently. Rory moaned at the feel of his hand on her. He kissed her again, this time more ferociously, and more passionately than he had ever kissed her before. Her breath caught in her throat as he wrapped his arms around her back pressing her chest firmly against his. He then started moving backwards towards the bed, neither breaking contact with the other.

He lay her down on the bed and quickly clambered on top of her. Rory watched him as he began unbuckling her belt. She lazily ran her fingers up and down his arm just enjoying the intimacy between them as he finished undressing her. He quickly unzipped her pants and then began tugging them over her hips along with her underwear. Rory helped him by lifting herself up slightly. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his moist tongue run over her exposed stomach. He continued licking and laving her soft skin all the way up to her breasts where he began sucking her nipple into his warm, wet mouth. Rory gasped at the feeling and as much as she loved how thorough he was in paying her attention, her body was becoming so over sensitised that she needed some kind of release.

Running her fingers through his hair, she tugged on it gently as a breathy moan escaped her throat while Logan switched his attentions to the other nipple. As Rory writhed in pleasure underneath him, he felt himself get hard and was desperate to take this further and quicker but he didn't want to scare her off.

"Logan!" she pulled him up and kissed him soundly before sliding her hand down to pull at his zipper. "Need…more," she breathed heavily. Logan instantly got the message as she slipped her hand inside his pants cupping his erection. Logan groaned in frustration and quickly reached down to push his pants and boxers down. Rory helped him along, while at the same time, kissing him to within an edge of his life.

Logan pulled away momentarily leaving her now fully naked body exposed to the cold air. She felt herself shudder but she wasn't sure whether it was the fact that she was cold, or because she was nervous about what was about to happen between them. She had imagined this for so long. She had fantasised aboutbeing with Logan on numerous occasions, but this was real life. She was really lying naked in his bed waiting for him to return so he could thoroughly ravish her. Her stomach fluttered with excitement and anticipation as she felt him return. He kissed her briefly on the mouth and then traced a pattern to her ear.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he whispered huskily into her ear. Rory felt her whole body tremble at the feel of his breath on her skin. She turned her face slightly and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. She broke away and smiled warmly back at him while stroking his cheek with her fingers.

"Yes." That was all the encouragement Logan needed. As she spoke he grinned mischievously back at her before rolling on top of her. Sitting back straddling her, he rolled the condom on to himself and then immediately lay back down, his body covering hers completely. He kissed her as he slid inside her swallowing her moans in the process. As he began thrusting inside of her, Rory raised her hips up to meet his.

She couldn't think straight, her mind was in disarray as the pleasure built up inside her. She thrashed wildly underneath him as he continued to hit that sweet spot so perfectly. Her body clung to him as he pushed her over the edge and as she came back down from her high, Logan collapsed on top of her with a large hint of exhaustion and immense satisfaction. She lay under him in a tangled web of sweaty limbs and aching body's, trying to get her breath back. Logan rolled off of her and removed the used condom, disposing of it accordingly.

As they lay side by side, panting uncontrollably, they both felt the ecstasy of their previous activities fade to be replaced by a feeling of uncertainty. Neither knew how to proceed from here. They had just crossed the barrier into uncharted territory for both of them.

For Rory, she didn't know what she was supposed to do next. She didn't know what the rules were. Should she say thanks and then get dressed and leave? Or should she snuggle up next to him and fall asleep blissfully happy? _This is what happens when you throw caution to the wind, Gilmore!_ She thought to herself.

As for Logan, he wasn't fairing much better himself. In any other circumstance, he would be dressed and out the door or the girl would be making her exit. But not this time. He had no intentions of leaving or of letting Rory leave any time soon. In fact, he was fighting the urge to roll over and either indulge in round two or just wrap himself around her and fall asleep.

However, Rory feeling ever more unsure of the situation took the decision out of Logan's hands as she began to move off the bed. Logan felt her warmth fade and looked over to see her about to bolt. Quickly, he reached up grabbing her wrist and pulled her back down on to the bed. She fell on top of him and he smiled warmly back at her.

"Where do you think you are going, Missy? I'm not done with you yet," he growled seductively. Rory laughed feeling her whole body relax into him as he kissed her thoroughly. She moaned as his tongue plundered her mouth and as the last remnants of rational thought left her, she smiled thinking that there was nowhere else she'd rather be.


	7. Chapter 7: Friends With God

**AN: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my little stories and review them. You have no idea how much it means. Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**Megan, glad I could cheer you up. Great job as always!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show. I swear!**

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Seven: Friends With God.

The first signs of morning awoke him from his slumber as well as the warm body lying beside him. Slowly opening his eyes, he couldn't help the smile from forming on his face as he breathed in her silky brown hair. Drawn towards her by some invisible force, Logan moved his body closer until he was spooning her and gently snaked his arm around her naked waist. He placed a light kiss on her shoulder and then closed his eyes, his smile still apparent.

Logan had never really been a big fan of cuddling during the morning after, mostly because he was never actually present long enough to indulge in such behaviours. However, with Rory he felt no such urge to pull away or let her go. In fact, all he felt was an urge to be closer to her. Having her soft, warm body pressed up against his made him feel a whole range of new emotions. Electricity shot through his veins as he wrapped his arms around her. Sighing to himself, he realised that he would be quite happy staying like this forever.

The sound of Rory moaning disturbed him from his thoughts and he quickly opened his eyes to see her twisting around in his embrace. As she finally faced him, she slowly opened her eyes and yawned before looking up at him. Logan's eyes were held by her gaze, her blue eyes shone back at him as a shy smile crept over her features.

"Hi," he said simply, his voice a little rough from sleep. Rory blinked a couple of times as her face turned a lighter shade of crimson.

"Hi," she responded awkwardly. Logan couldn't help but laugh as her face reddened with embarrassment. She lowered her head down on the pillow only for Logan to cup her cheek and bring her back level with him.

"Come on, Ace. Don't go all shy on me now!" he said in a playful tone. Rory sighed and then brushed her hair from her face.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just don't have much experience in this department." Logan frowned.

"You know, neither do I." He admitted. Rory's eyes flew to his as she pondered his words.

"What do you mean?" Logan groaned and then rolled onto his back pulling her with him so she was tucked securely into his side. She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating rapidly. She felt herself relax into his embrace as he grasped her hand and linked his fingers through hers. Rory smiled at his intimate gesture.

"I'm not really the type to stick around and enjoy the post coital cuddling. Although, I have to say it definitely has its perks."

Rory positioned her chin on his chest and looked up at him questioningly.

"Such as?" Logan grinned back at her and quickly pulled her fully on top of him.

"Such as…the ability to repeat the night before all over again." He kissed her passionately and then brushed her hair back from her face. He ran his other hand over her back and grabbed her butt, pressing her firmly against him, letting her know how aroused he was. Rory let out a little squeal as she felt his erection against her lower stomach.

"Logan!" she scolded him playfully before capturing his lips with hers. She nibbled on his bottom lip and then sucked it into her mouth resulting in a low growl from Logan as she moved to straddle him. He pulled her flat against him and then quickly flipped them over so that he was now hovering above her. Rory giggled and continued indulging herself in his hot, greedy kisses.

Logan broke away as he placed a trail of kisses over her cheeks and down her neck finding his way to the valley between her breasts. As he lowered himself, kissing and laving her chest and her breasts, Rory moaned in pleasure at the feel of his hot breath over her nipple. She arched her back and grasped his head with her hands trying to encourage him to continue. He didn't. Instead, he pulled away and she was surprised by his lips on hers. It was a passionate kiss which sucked the soul from within. He then broke away, leaving them both panting heavily.

"Ace!" he whispered as he looked down at her. Her eyes fluttered open as her clouded mind registered the fact that he was speaking to her. "Ace…"

Rory tried to catch her breath and find her composure. Kissing Logan was like standing at the edge of the world. She knew nothing like it. Taking a few heavy breaths, she finally managed to focus on him. He smiled, amused by how much he was affecting her.

"Logan?" she breathed. Her voice was soft, her pulse was racing, and her body was on fire from his touches.

"It's 8.25 a.m." He informed her, his voice had a soothing tone to it. Rory closed her eyes again as she felt his hot breath on her face.

"Hmm," she sighed and then began running her fingers caressingly over his back. Logan's smile widened as her fingers traced circles on his arm. She was completely out of it

"Ace!" His tone was slightly harsher this time causing her to sharply open her eyes again.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Logan lowered his face to hers and moved in for one last kiss before the inevitable freak out would occur.

"It's 8.25 a.m.," he repeated as he nibbled on her earlobe. "The test…" As soon as the words left his mouth, Rory's eyes flew wide open. Suddenly, very awake and bursting full of energy, Rory quickly moved from her position underneath him and pulled off the covers as she jumped out of the bed.

"OH MY GOD!" she squealed as she searched frenziedly for her clothing. "OH MY GOD!"

Logan watched her as he casually leaned against the back board, thoroughly enjoying the view as a still very much naked Rory, scurried around the bedroom hunting for her things.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I slept in…" Then turning to Logan, she asked him accusingly, "How could you let me sleep in?"

Logan laughed as she finally found her jeans lying bunched up on the floor along with a shoe. She found her shirt and her bra and began quickly dressing herself while mumbling something he couldn't quite make out. As he continued watching her, something caught his eye at the bottom of the bed. He smiled as he realised what it was. It was her black, lacy panties. Smiling mischievously, he leaned forward to retrieve the delicate item and then continued to watch as she became more and more frustrated looking for her other shoe. By this time she was fully dressed, minus the black, lacy panties he held in his hand.

"Um, Ace. Forget something?" he asked as a wicked grin descended over his features. Rory stopped to look at him, frowning intensely back at him. He began twirling her panties on his finger. "I think these might belong to you!"

Rory's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson as she realised what Logan was holding in his hand. She hastily grabbed for her underwear only to be pulled onto the bed by Logan.

"Logan…" she whined before being cut off by his mouth on hers. She pushed herself up and tried to reach for her panties as he held them out of her grasp. "I don't have time for this, Logan"

Logan laughed again; he was thoroughly enjoying her antics.

"Logan…"

"Ask me nicely, and I will consider giving them back," he told her, a mischievous smirk growing over his features. Rory harrumphed and sat back on the bed. She glared at him and then sighed in resignation.

"Fine, may I please have my underwear back?" Logan grinned evilly as he glanced at the clock. It was now 8.32 a.m. He couldn't resist playing with her a little longer. She would still make her test but he couldn't resist having a little fun beforehand.

"Please! May I have my underwear back?" Rory narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out what game he was playing. Finally it hit her.

"Uh, uh! No way am I saying it."

"Do you want your panties back?"

"Logan!" she whined in exasperation. "I'm going to be late." Logan shook his head.

"You still have plenty of time. Just say it!" he teased. Rory looked at the clock; 8.34 a.m. She would have to give in. She would let him have his victory...this time.

"Fine!" she sighed, "May I please have my underwear back, Master and Commander?" The smirk on Logan's face became unbearable for her to witness as she snatched her panties from his hand.

"Was that so hard?" he called out after her as she raced out of the room. "Good luck!" He heard the front door open and close. She was gone.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL

She had made her class in time to take her test with five minutes to spare. She also managed to make a very quick, but necessary stop at the coffee cart to purchase her vital morning coffee beforehand. During the test, she had found it a little harder to focus and concentrate on the task at hand as her mind was flooded with images of her and Logan from the night before.

Somehow, she had managed to blank them out and focus on her test well enough that, as she walked out of the room, she felt a real inner confidence that she had done well.

That confidence evaporated slightly and developed into a mixture of anxiety and a little bit of apprehension as she was faced with the sight of Logan sitting on the bench across the hall. Rory felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat and a small smile creep over her face as he sat sprawled out casually over the bench, his brows knitted together as he seemed engrossed in whatever book he was reading. Sitting beside him was two cups of what she assumed was coffee. Was he waiting for her?

The very idea that Logan was waiting for her tied her stomach in knots. Half of her wanted to pretend like she hadn't seen him and disappear before he looked up, but the other half - the half which had her currently frozen on the spot - was urging her to go over there to talk to him, to brush over the inevitable awkwardness of the morning after. She hadn't really been able to fully comprehend how incredibly awkward it was thit morning in his apartment. She thanked god for her test and for her obsessive addiction to academia which had made her able to function and escape with her dignity still intact. Well, maybe not firmly intact, there was the underwear incident…

"Hey Ace!" the sound of Logan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she quickly realised that she had been standing there for around five minutes, blankly staring at him. Logan peeled himself off the bench, picked up the containers, and made his way towards her with that all too familiar smirk on his face. Rory gulped and hoped with all of her being that he wouldn't notice that her face was most likely now the color of beetroot. "How did it go?"

"Um, fine." Rory spoke nervously, her gaze dropping to the ground. She had all of a sudden become fascinated by the invention of shoes. Her inability to look him in the eye had nothing to do with the fact that only a few short hours ago they had been lying naked in each others embrace doing ungodly things to one another.

"Can I interest you in some coffee?" he asked, while waving the cup under her nose. Her natural instinct caused her to follow the smell and in doing so she finally made eye contact with him. Feeling her cheeks grow even warmer, she smiled shyly as he smiled back at her. Taking the cup from his offered hand, she quickly poured the contents down her throat. Logan laughed softly.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Think of it as a piece offering…after this morning." Rory's eyes flew up to his and she blushed as he held her gaze. Logan laughed again, unable to resist. He reached his hand up to cup her cheek. They stared back at one another, their eyes displaying a million different emotions neither one was able to convey through words then and there. He dropped his hand from her face and grabbed her hand as he began pulling her away from the prying eyes of the student body and into an empty lecture hall.

Rory's mind went blank as she felt the warmth from his hand in hers course through her veins. Her heart was thumping in her chest as his touch sent shockwaves through her system, the size of which left her unable to prevent herself from thinking about his hands roaming her body the night before.

Logan stopped abruptly causing Rory to walk into him. He spun around to face her and narrowed his eyes slightly as he noticed the distant look on her face. Of course, he had no idea that he was the cause of such a look. If he had, she was fairly certain that his concerned, puzzled expression would be replaced by that smug, cocky smirk of his which could make her feel both irritated and weak at the knees in equal measure.

"Rory?" The sound of her name spoken from his lips made the daze she had been in fade away. She looked up at him, while not quite realising how close they were. She was met with two questioning hazel eyes; eyes which she could get lost in. Eyes which she had gotten lost in less than twenty-four hours before. "Ace."

Shaking her head, she focused on the here and now. "Hey," she said stupidly as though he had just appeared before her. "I mean, thanks for the coffee."

Logan laughed at her. "I mean…" Rory frowned as she mentally kicked herself for being such a brain dead moron in front of him. Her palms were sweaty and her brain seemed to have lost all ability to form proper sentences while standing in his company. Maybe it was because she was standing so close to him. Maybe it was his scent which was affecting her motor functions. She should take a step back, regain her composure and stop imaging his fingers unbuttoning her shirt!

Sighing in frustration at herself, she found her blue eyes drawn to his. They both smiled, acknowledging the tension between them.

"And here I was thinking this would be awkward," she said sarcastically as she brushed the hair from her face while finishing off her coffee and discarding the container in the trash. Logan raised his eyebrows, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Why would it be awkward? Just because we spent the night giving each other mind blowing orgasms, doesn't mean we should feel awkward around each other," he replied simply, a small smile forming on his face. Rory gaped at him. She was at a complete loss for words.

"Logan!" she admonished him as she felt herself blush. She had never been the most forward person when it came to sex or when talking about sex. She still got embarrassed at the mere mention of anything related to the word. Not that she was a prude, she just wasn't as liberal with the concept. Logan didn't seem to have that problem though, he was always very much confident when it came to everything to do with the subject. Probably because he was far more experienced than she was. He had slept with perhaps hundreds of girls as compared to her now two guys.

"What?" he asked innocently, all the while the look on his face told her he was playing with her. "Rory, if you are old enough to be doing it, you should be able to talk about it."

Rory shook her head as he took a step towards her closing the gap between them.

"Mind blowing, huh?" She felt her body immediately react to his close proximity. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt his breath against her cheek. Her pulse quickened to the point where she was sure she was going to have a heart attack any minute now. She looked up and locked her eyes on his. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed how dark his eyes had become. He stared back at her with so much lust and need, she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said nervously, her voice barely audible. Logan's gaze moved to her mouth, as she chewed on her lip. He wanted to chew on it for her. Realising that she was talking to him, he smirked seductively back at her.

"Like what?" His voice was low and husky as he took a step even closer, resting his hands on her hips. Rory's heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest as her breathing became heavy.

"Like, like you've seen me naked." Unable to hold back any longer, Logan crashed his lips on hers. The kiss was full of overwhelming passion left over from the night before. She moaned with pleasure as he plundered her mouth with his tongue. She wrapped her arms around his neck and followed as he guided her over towards the abandoned desk.

"But, I have seen you naked," he growled as he kissed a trail down her neck, "And I would be all for seeing you naked again. Like right now would be good."

Logan's hands were everywhere at once, groping frantically, burning her flesh. She felt the edge of the desk against her legs and moved so she was sitting on it. Logan continued to kiss her senseless as she pulled him firmly against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and ran her hands up and over his chest, over his shoulders, and removing the jacket he wore.

Logan smiled into the kiss as he felt her busy hands occupy themselves with the buttons of his shirt. Her breathy moans as he ravished her mouth were making it very hard to hold back. He wanted nothing more than to have her once more. He had spent much of the morning just thinking about their night together, playing it over and over in his head. Every touch, every kiss, every moan of pleasure had been so vivid, but he was in the middle of discovering, nothing quite came close to the real thing.

However, as he felt her fingers brush over his now exposed torso, lowering towards his zipper, he somehow found the conscious of mind to stop her. Pulling away, he placed his hands over hers, stilling her movements. After a few seconds, Rory's eyes fluttered open as her breathing began to return to normal. She gazed back at him. He watched as her confused expression changed finally to realisation of what they were on their way to doing. Logan smiled as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I think we should take this elsewhere," he panted as he moved away from her, while redoing the buttons on his shirt. He ran an unsteady hand through his hair as he tried to figure out where exactly he had gotten the strength to pull away from her. Deep down he knew the answer. It had come from the same place which had kept him fighting his ever growing attraction to Rory since the first time they met. Well, maybe not the first…

Rory felt the cold air hit her as he moved out of her embrace. Managing to regroup, she slid off the table and straightened herself out. Her mind was buzzing, she felt slightly incredulous with herself that she could so easily lose control and get swept along like that. Logan just seemed to have some kind of power over her which her body could not resist. She needed to get a hold of herself and let her busy mind start doing its job, and in the meantime she would ignore every single impure thought and urge she had for Logan Huntzberger. She watched him discreetly as he pulled on his jacket. He was rakishly handsome, she always thought so, but definitely not good for her. He was a one way ticket to heartbreak and she would not allow herself to go down that road.

Logan turned back towards her having regained some semblance of normalcy and caught her staring at him. She immediately lowered her gaze, embarrassed once more and began nervously fidgeting with the ends of her shirt. Logan frowned and then took a step towards her before stopping himself. He figured that to have this conversation he should keep some distance between them. It would make it a little bit easier.

"Ace…Rory!" he started but he couldn't find the words to finish what he was going to say. He didn't know what he was going to say.

"I can't," she said quietly, her eyes still on the ground. Logan looked up and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"You can't what?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. She suddenly met his gaze and he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"I can't be that girl, Logan. I don't want to be," she explained solemnly. "Last night was wonderful. It was amazing. But, I'm not that kind of girl. I don't sleep around, I don't date casually. I thought I could give it a go, but I can't do it. I wouldn't be able to. I know right now, that I'll want more. More from you. I don't want to share you with other girls, and I want you to not want to share me with anyone else…if that makes sense."

It did make sense. He understood her completely. Everything she was telling him were things that he already thought himself. He knew she wasn't like the other girls. His feelings for her were stronger than he had ever experienced before, but he would end up hurting her and he couldn't bear doing that. He wasn't ready to commit, and that's what she deserved. If they were going to do this, she deserved to have him invested one hundred percent. However, right now that just wasn't a possibility.

"I understand." he said simply. He didn't know what else to say. They stared back at one another for what seemed like forever until Rory looked away as she felt her heart sink. "So what now?"

Rory shrugged, she was unable to speak for fear of what she might say. She was dangerously close to telling him to forget about everything she had just said as she felt that something with him was better than nothing. However, she knew deep down that she couldn't compromise herself like that. She was a commitment kind of girl, and Logan couldn't give her what she needed, not right now at least. So she had to do the sensible thing and walk away.

"Friends?" she offered. She really wasn't ready to cut him out of her life completely. Logan eyed her trying to see if she was truly genuine in her words.

"Friends." He repeated. Logan was pretty sceptical about the idea of them being friends, he wasn't sure whether he could stick to it himself but he needed her to remain in his life in some capacity.

"Well, I should…" she gestured towards the door. Logan sighed and then nodded as she brushed passed him. Instinctively, he grabbed for her hand and pulled her back towards him. Their eyes locked and he could feel his pulse racing as he bent his head and gently placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips.

"Bye Ace." he whispered softly as he broke away. Rory's eyes fluttered open and after a few seconds of silent contemplation she smiled at him and then turned and left him alone with his thoughts. He was doing the right thing, letting her go. Right?

RLRLRLRLRL

As Rory walked back to her dorm room, she fought tirelessly against the tears which were threatening to overflow. It wasn't even lunch time and she had already been put through the emotional ringer. Little did she know it was about to get worse as she unlocked the door to her room and slid inside.

She was greeted by a concerned looking Paris who seemed even more uptight and agitated than usual.

"Hey Paris!" Rory nodded as she made her way towards her bedroom. She wanted to just get into her pyjamas, curl up into a tiny ball in her bed, and sleep for a week. That wasn't going to be a possibility though, judging by the look in Paris' eyes.

"Hey Paris? Hey Paris?" the blonde's voice rose as she spoke. "How can you just stroll in here casually and say 'Hey Paris'?"

Rory groaned, she really didn't want to get into an argument with Paris. She just wanted to sleep.

"Paris…"

"Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to get in touch with you since last night."

"I was studying. I turned my phone off." Rory replied as Paris followed her into her room.

"Your mom called. She's been trying to get a hold of you too. Your Dad was in an accident…"

Rory spun around to face her as she heard the words leave her mouth.

"What?"

"He was driving, he crashed the car. He's in the hospital." Paris began to fill her in as Rory felt her anxiety grow.

"Oh my god!" She had to sit down.

"Lorelai is there right now. He's in surgery."

Immediately, Rory jumped up and reached for her coat, her cell phone, and her car keys. "Which hospital?"

"Um, St. Agatha's near Boston." At that, Rory was gone. Her cell phone to her ear, she dialled her mother's number as the fear overcame her.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

"So the wanderer returns!" shouted Finn as Logan entered the newsroom. Finn was sitting in Logan's chair with his feet up on his desk, while Doyle glared at them from the other side of the room. "I was wondering if you ever actually came by here."

Logan sighed. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Finn and his antics, not after the day he had had so far. The only reason he had come to the newsroom was to give himself something to focus on. He planned to finish typing the article he was working on, but now he had to deal with Finn.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be drunk right about now?" he asked and pushed him up out of his chair and sat down in his place.

"I just wanted to see where all the magic happens." He perched himself on the edge of the desk and scanned the newsroom. "Any red headed Lois Lane types?"

"Go away, Finn!" he pleaded with his friend. He loved Finn dearly, but there were times like now that he just couldn't deal with him.

"What is up with you, craggy pants?" Finn eyed him curiously. He could tell Logan was bummed about something and was fairly sure it had something to do with the girl he had encountered waiting in Logan's apartment the night before.

"Nothing. I'm just busy. I'll talk to you later." Finn watched him for a moment with a concerned look on his face, then shrugged.

"Fine, be that way. I'm off to get pissed!" He spun on his heel and headed for the door bumping into the angry blonde friend of Rory's. He couldn't quite remember her name and by the look she was giving him, Finn was pretty certain he didn't want to know her name.

"Get out of my way, Jackass!" Paris scowled and then stomped by him into the newsroom. Logan looked up from his computer screen to see Paris head over to Rory's desk. He watched as she sat in her chair and unlocked one of the drawers pulling out a disk. Paris then got back up and headed over to Doyle's desk and laid the disk on his pile.

"Rory asked me to give this to you. She finished it but she had to go to the hospital so she couldn't hand it in herself." Paris explained as Doyle returned to take his seat.

"Fine." He nodded. Logan found himself full of concern at the mention of Rory going to the hospital. Instinctively, he called Paris over to find out what was going on, hoping against hope that Rory was alright.

"Hey Geller!" Paris glared at him as he shouted her name. "Come here."

"What?" Paris frowned but made her way over, his desk was next to hers after all.

"What did you say about Rory and the hospital?" He tried to hold back the anxiousness he felt, but some of it seeped out into his voice. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine." Logan felt the relief wash over him instantaneously. "Her Dad was in a car accident. He's in the hospital." Before he knew what he was doing, Logan had switched off his computer and was pushing out his chair.

"Which hospital?" He asked her as he quickly made his way to the door. "Which hospital, Paris?"

"St Agatha's!" He heard her yell and he headed for the parking lot.

RLRLRLRLRL

"This is ridiculous!" stated Emily indignantly as she scanned the waiting room looking for someone who might know what was going on. "How long does it take to repair a broken leg?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes at her mother while clutching Rory's hand. "It's a little more complicated than a 'broken leg,' mom. The doctor said he had internal bleeding and broken ribs, not to mention the fractured pelvis."

Rory winced as she pictured her father suffering all of those horrible injuries. She felt nauseous.

She had arrived at the hospital a couple of hours before and there was still no word. He had been in surgery for about seven hours so far as there had been complications, and all she could do was wait; wait to see if he pulled through. She hated feeling so helpless, the overwhelming guilt didn't help her much either.

When Rory arrived at the hospital, Lorelai had informed her that she had been calling her since around about 3.00 a.m. She hadn't answered because she had been with Logan. While her father was lying unconscious in a ditch in the middle of a road somewhere, she was cuddled up with Logan, ignoring her phone calls. She had told Paris she had switched her phone off, but that was only because she didn't want to tell her about Logan. She had heard every single ring of her cell phone but had blocked it out because she was too busy indulging in certain nocturnal activities with Logan.

Now, sitting in the hospital waiting room with her head on her mothers shoulder, she felt awful. She felt anxious, concerned, and desperate for some kind of reassurance that everything would be alright.

"I'm going to find out what's going on." Emily decided and headed in the direction the doctor had come from previously. Richard sighed and then passed a loving smile to his daughter and granddaughter before following after his wife. Rory straightened up and watched them disappear around the corner. She then put her head back on her mothers shoulder and snuggled into her side, desperate for some kind of comfort.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" she asked, her voice a tiny whisper. Lorelai sighed and turned to kiss her daughter on the forehead as she looked up at her. Lorelai felt her heart melt as she looked into those big blue, innocent eyes of hers and wanted to be able to tell her 'yes'. She wanted to offer her reassurances which she just couldn't offer herself.

"I hope so, kid."

Rory closed her eyes briefly and as she heard movement around her, she quickly opened them again. She casually glanced down the corridor to her left and was greeted with the image of Logan standing watching her. Blinking a couple of times, she thought she was imagining things, but when she opened her eyes again he was still there.

"Um, I'll be right back," she told Lorelai and began walking towards a rather nervous looking Logan. He was holding two cups of coffee and he smiled warmly as she approached him.

"Hey."

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Rory was fairly surprised to see him there especially considering the conversation they had shared earlier that day. But here he was, she couldn't quite believe it.

"Paris told me about your Dad. How is he?" He asked, his voice laced full of genuine concern.

"He's still in surgery. We're just waiting to hear any news."

"How are you?" he asked softly, his eyes bore into hers as he searched for any glimmer that she wasn't coping.

"I'm okay." Logan smiled briefly and then offered her one of the cups.

"I saw this little coffee place on the way here. I figured the coffee would suck here so…" Rory smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. She was touched by his thoughtfulness.

"Thank you."

"Is that coffee?" Lorelai asked from behind them. Logan nodded and offered her the other container.

Lorelai took a large gulp at the same time Rory did. Logan watched with an amused smirk on his face as they both sighed in contentment.

"That is one excellent cup of coffee. You are a God among men." Lorelai told him enthusiastically. Rory smiled at Logan as he laughed.

"You definitely are a lot alike," he informed them. Both Lorelai's looked at each other and then back at him before shrugging.

"Well, I should go find your grandmother before she gets kicked out of the hospital." She nodded to Logan and squeezed Rory's arm before taking off to find her parents, leaving Logan and Rory alone.

Rory shifted nervously as she became fascinated with her shoes once more. Amazingly they hadn't changed since that morning.

Logan watched her pensive expression and her antsy behaviour. He wasn't sure whether it was because of her father being in surgery or because he was there. He certainly didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, he had just found himself, unconsciously, driving towards the hospital. When he had heard about what happened, he only had one concern; make sure Ace is alright. That concern brought him there, to the hospital where he stood across from her, watching to see if she was about to breakdown. For some reason he wanted to be the one to catch her if she needed him.

"So…how are you really doing?" He asked narrowing his eyes as she looked up at him. He could see the tears threatening to escape and inside he felt his heart shatter for her. On impulse, he took a step towards her and engulfed her in his warm, comforting embrace. Rory clung to him and rest her head on his chest as the tears slid down her cheeks, soaking his shirt in the process. Logan wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed her hair and whispered reassurances to her. "It's going to be okay." He told her. Rory just held him tighter, breathing in his presence. For the first time that night, she felt safe. She felt like everything would be alright. Wrapped in Logan's arms, he gave her the strength to pull herself together and for that she would always be eternally grateful.


	8. Chapter 8: Chinese Food & Logan's Lips

**A/N: Hi guys! Here's chapter 8. I hope you enjoy it. I'm not too sure about it, so tell me what you think. Thanks.**

**Thanks Megan. I don't own GG. Someone else does.**

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Eight: Flowers, Chinese Food and Logan's Lips

Rory was nervous. Logan could tell she was anxious about the fact that her father was still in surgery. He watched her from the side as they sat alone together in the hospital waiting room. She kept fidgeting and sighing. She would get up from the chair and start pacing around and then sit back down and fidget some more.

Logan wished there was something he could do to help her, but he figured him being there was help in itself. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and assure her that everything would be alright. It had worked briefly before but as time passed, her concern increased.

"What are they doing? Shouldn't there be some news by now?" she asked rhetorically as she began pacing in front of him. Logan watched her, smiling softly.

"No news is good news." He said simply hoping that would have the desired affect. Rory looked at him and sighed. She sat back down beside him and picked up a magazine from the stack on the table. She leafed through it and then frustrated, she put it back down.

"I just wish-" Logan placed his hand on top of hers in an act of comfort, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Ace, he's going to be fine. This is one of the best hospitals in the country with some of the best surgeons. He'll pull through."

"I hope so." She said in a tiny voice which was laced with vulnerability. Logan's heart broke for her. He could never imagine what it would be like to have parents who actually gave a damn about you other than the fact you were their heir. He squeezed her hand and then gave her a warm, reassuring smile. Rory gazed up at him and they stared back at one another for a few seconds before she looked away in the opposite direction. Logan kept his hand in hers as Rory clung onto the hope he offered her.

RLRLRLRLRL

Having successfully managed to prevent her mother from being banned from the hospital, Lorelai headed back to the waiting room, her maternal need to be with her daughter overwhelming her.

As she turned the corner, she found herself surprised at the sight she saw. There, sitting in the waiting room, was Logan, the coffee god and apparent Hugh Hefner wannabe, reading a magazine while her daughter lay asleep snuggled into his side. Lorelai unconsciously felt her heart warm at the picture of them both looking so cosy and comfortable with each other.

She hadn't always been the biggest fan of Logan, what with him being friends with Colin and belonging to the rich, privileged society world she had so desperately escaped from all those years ago. But to see him there providing Rory with a shoulder to lean on - or sleep on - was reassuring to Lorelai that maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

She continued walking along the corridor until she joined them and smiled at her daughter's sleeping form before Logan glanced up from the magazine.

"Hey," he whispered not wanting to wake Rory up.

"Hey." Lorelai replied and sat down directly across from the pair. "How long has she been asleep?"

"For about twenty minutes," he answered his voice still quiet as he glanced at the girl who was currently drooling on his arm. He smiled down at her and turned back to Lorelai only to see her watching him, curiously.

"Poor thing, she must be exhausted."

"Yeah, she didn't get much sleep last night." He said absently. As soon as his words registered in his mind, Logan realised the implications and cringed inwardly. He caught Lorelai staring at him with a frown on her face. "I mean…" he began backtracking while wishing the world would open up and swallow him whole. "…not that I would know. I just meant, what with her test she had she was probably up late studying and-"

Lorelai smirked while noticing him become extremely uncomfortable in his chair. She looked at Rory, still innocently sleeping and noted that perhaps the reason for their easy, comfortable interactions was because they knew each other a lot more intimately than friends. Lorelai brushed the thought off, knowing that Rory wasn't that type of girl. And even if she was, she would have told her. Right?

"Relax, Logan. I know you're not sleeping with my daughter," she said confidently. "I mean you're not, are you?"

Logan stared wide eyed at her. This was _so_ not the conversation he wanted to be having right now, with Rory's mother of all people. He shook his head in reply. "No. We're just…friends."

Lorelai looked at him intently; her scepticism was in free flow. But she would have this talk with Rory at another time. "Well, I'm glad she has such good friends."

"Logan! What are you doing here?" Emily asked loudly as she and Richard joined them. Logan smiled his best society smile and greeted them both.

"Emily, Richard." He nodded and straightened up slightly. "'I'm just here for Rory."

Emily smiled widely and eyed her husband. Richard shared the look of distinct pleasure at the thought of their granddaughter and Logan Huntzberger as an item. Lorelai rolled her eyes as Rory began to stir. She groaned as she lifted her slightly hazy head from its comfortable position on Logan's arm and rubbed at her eyes as she yawned.

Finally, she opened her eyes to see her mother, her grandparents, and then Logan sitting beside her. Slightly disoriented, she noticed the slightly exasperated look on her mothers face; she then took in the glowing Cheshire cat-like grins on her grandparent's faces. Her mind then registered the fact that she hadn't been asleep in her comfortable bed like she had dreamed she had been, instead she glanced up to see Logan's brown eyes staring back at her, a slight smirk on his face. Immediately, she felt her face grow warmer as she blushed with embarrassment.

Thankfully, her embarrassment was interrupted by the much anticipated arrival of the surgeon who had been operating on Christopher.

"Miss Gilmore?" he asked. Lorelai, Emily, Richard, Rory, and Logan all jumped up from their seated positions, looking anxiously at the balding man.

"How is he?" Lorelai quizzed him.

"Is he okay?" Rory's heart thumped rapidly in her chest in fear and anticipation. Logan noticed her tense up and instinctively laced his fingers through hers in a comforting gesture as Richard and Emily looked on.

"The surgery was successful and we were able to stop the bleeding. Given time and plenty of rest, I am confident he will make a full recovery," he finished in his calm voice. The group let out a collective sigh of relief. Lorelai surprised the surgeon by throwing herself into his arms, enveloping him in a hug.

"Thank you, doctor."

"Um, you're welcome." As Lorelai let go, Rory replaced her, copying her mother's actions.

"Thank you so much." Logan smiled as he watched the man's eyes widen in surprise and awkwardness.

"You will be able to see him shortly," he said, blushing slightly as he turned away from the crazy Gilmore Girls. Richard and Emily followed after him as Lorelai turned to her daughter.

"I'm going to go call Francine. She's in London trying to get a flight. I should let her know that he's okay." Rory nodded and hugged her mother. As she passed by Logan, Lorelai smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Logan turned his full attention back to Rory who was now sitting on the chair beside him. He smiled and sat beside her.

"You okay?" Rory nodded as she battled against the tears which were threatening to escape. Logan noted her teary-eyed expression and pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her in a strong embrace. "He's fine, Ace. Everything is going to be okay."

Rory let her tears flow as she rest her head on his chest and clung onto him. Logan kissed her hair and hugged her tighter as Rory continued to sob into his shirt.

She pulled away from him. Logan looked down to see her sad eyes staring back at him. He smiled lop-sided and brushed his hand over her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

"Thank you." Logan lowered his face closer to hers and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"For what?"

"For everything. For coming here, for bringing me coffee, for not complaining about the fact that I drooled all over your shirt when I fell asleep. For being here," she said softly, her eyes fixed on his. Logan leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

"You don't have to thank me, Ace. What are friends for?" Rory sighed and then cupped his cheek. She smiled at him and then moved her face closer to his capturing his lips in a soft, tender, chaste kiss. It lasted only a few seconds before she broke away. Logan opened his eyes and felt his stomach flip as she smiled shyly back at him. He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her with everything he had, but he resisted as Lorelai returned.

"We can go see him now," she said as Rory kept her eyes on Logan.

"Um, sure." She stood up as Lorelai headed towards Christopher's private room. Logan stood up and cleared his throat.

"I should go," he said softly. He wanted to stay. In fact, he didn't want to leave her side. But she had her family around her, she didn't need him.

"Okay." Rory nodded as Logan took her hand in his. He kissed her damp cheek and smiled.

"Call me, if you need anything."

Rory nodded once more as he turned away from her and watched as he walked away. She raised her fingers to her lips and smiled at the memory of his lips on hers. Her mind was all over the place with worry and concern for her father but when she thought of Logan and how sweet he had been, she felt her heart warm.

"Are you coming?" Lorelai called out to her to see a dreamy look on her daughters face.

Rory spun around and hurriedly joined her as they went to see Christopher.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRLRL

They practically had to get the orderlies to forcibly remove her from her father's bedside; such was her reluctance to leave him. But after much reassurance from both Lorelai and a slightly groggy Christopher, she unwillingly headed back to Yale.

It was long after midnight by the time she arrived back, and as she turned off the engine of her car she slumped back onto the seat and let out a heavy sigh, letting out all of the pent up frustration and anxiety of the past twenty-four hours.

She unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her purse. She pulled out her cell phone to see she had a text message; it was from Logan.

Unconsciously, she found herself smiling like an idiot and read the message;

__

Hey Ace, Just wanted to check in. If you need anything, don't hesitate. I'm here if you need me. Logan.

Rory felt her heart melt as she was touched by his concern. She reread the message over and over, her eyes lingering over the last line, 'I'm here if you need me.'

She raised her eyes to look towards her dorm room. The lights were out; Paris was either asleep or staying with Doyle. She didn't want to be alone tonight. After the day she had had, she needed someone to take her into their arms and tell her that everything would be alright. She needed Logan. 'I'm here if you need me,' she reread the message one last time before flipping her phone shut and pulled her keys from the ignition. She opened the car door and climbed out.

RLRLRLRL

Rory stood outside his apartment trying to work up the nerve to knock on the door. She had no idea what she would say when he opened the door. What if he wasn't alone? What if he had company, and she was interrupting them?

As her mind raced away with itself, she took a deep breath and knocked firmly on the wooden door. After a few seconds, the door slowly opened to reveal a rather sleepy looking Logan. Rory smiled as she took in the sight of his messy bed hair. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and boxers and looked as though he had been sleeping soundly. Rory couldn't get over how cute he looked.

Logan rubbed at his eyes as he tried to focus on the brunette at the door. "Ace? Hey, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?" he asked, immediately concerned by her appearance at his door.

Rory smiled softly as she lowered her gaze, slightly embarrassed about showing up at his door. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I just wanted to say…thank you."

Logan scratched his head and furrowed his brow. "You already said thank you, Ace."

Rory sighed and began nervously fidgeting with her fingers. She looked down at her feet, unable to look him in the eyes. "I, um…I was just wondering if…could I stay here tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

Logan smiled as he stared at her. He felt his heart swell as he saw how vulnerable she was. She needed him. It felt nice to be needed. Immediately, he reached out his arm and grasped her hand in his. He slowly pulled her inside and closed the door behind them. Without saying a word, he led her through to his bedroom. He dropped her hand as she stood awkwardly in the middle of his darkened bedroom. Logan grabbed some sweats from a drawer and handed them to her.

"Put these on, I'll be right back." Logan left her to change as he went to the bathroom. Rory peeled off her jacket and began undressing. She pulled on the sweats he had given her; she smiled as she noticed that they were the same ones she had worn the first time she had spent the night in Logan's bed.

She folded her clothes and laid them on a chair in the corner just as Logan returned. She stood fixed to the spot, watching him as he smiled warmly back at her. He moved towards her and took her hand again. He led her over to the bed and lifted the covers and climbed in. As he settled in, Rory remained standing at the side of the bed. Logan laughed as he noticed her nervously biting her lip.

"I promise I won't bite." He lifted the covers gesturing for her to get in. Hesitantly, she did.

Logan lay back making himself comfortable and pulled Rory close against him. He slid his arm under her as she snuggled into his side, her head resting on his chest. Logan laced his fingers through hers and closed his eyes breathing in her scent as he kissed her hair.

"Goodnight, Ace," he whispered, squeezing her shoulder. Rory settled in beside him and closed her eyes. For the first time that day, she felt her whole body relax. She felt safe in his arms.

As she drifted off to sleep, Logan listened as her breathing evened out. His mind whirled as he held her in his arms. Lately, he was finding that he loved having her warm, soft body pressed up against his. He loved being close to her. For the first time in his life, he was sharing a bed with a beautiful girl and he had no intentions of doing anything other than sleeping. He smiled at the thought and pulled her closer. He shut his eyes, but sleep evaded him. He couldn't convince his mind to shut off. He couldn't stop thinking about Rory and about how happy he was when he was around her. As much as he fought with every fibre of his being, he had to admit to himself at last; he was falling for her. He was falling for Rory Gilmore. The playboy was going soft and it scared him how much that didn't seem to bother him. If it meant having Rory fall asleep in his arms, he was all for it.

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

After a sleepless night, Logan awoke around mid morning to the sound of someone banging at his front door. Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes to see that he was in bed alone. He leaned up on his arms and looked towards the door of the bedroom.

"Ace!" he called out, his voice rough with sleep. There was no answer only more banging. He flopped back down and lay flat out on his stomach pulling the covers over his head hoping that whoever was at the door would take the hint and go away.

Apparently, whoever it was was rather slow on the uptake and continued rattling the door. Logan groaned and flung the covers off him as he climbed out of bed and headed out of his room towards the front door. Wiping his hand over his face, he scanned the room for any sign of Rory. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Logan, come on. Open the bloody door, mate." Logan sighed as he heard Finn call out to him from behind the door. He should've known it would be Finn. Unlocking the door, he glanced at the clock to see it was almost mid day. He opened the door and in walked Finn as Logan headed towards the kitchen. "About time. I was waiting out there forever."

Logan poured water into the kettle and began brewing some coffee. He looked back at Finn who was looking rather ruffled while holding a bouquet of flowers. "What's with the flowers, Finn?"

Finn looked down having forgotten they were there and laid them on the counter. "Oh, these are yours. The delivery guy handed them over when I was outside waiting for you to answer."

Logan frowned as he took a closer look. It was a bouquet of white roses. This was a first; he had never been on the receiving end of flowers before. He noticed the card and opened it. He smiled as he read the card, they were from Rory.

__

Logan, I just wanted to thank you for everything. It meant a lot. As a token of my appreciation, I send you flowers. Girly, I know but hey, everyone likes receiving flowers, right? If you don't like them or you're allergic just give them to Finn. Anyway, thank you so much for being there. Ace.

Logan's smile grew even wider as he noted that she signed the card 'Ace.' Finn raided the fridge for a beer before returning to the counter where he noticed the goony look on his friends face. He grabbed the card from his hand and read it. He looked up at Logan who was still staring off into the distance with a big grin on his face. Finn shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You've got it bad, mate." Logan snapped out of his daze and scowled back at Finn.

"Don't start, Finn." He warned him as he poured himself some coffee.

"So, what did you do? What happened?" he enquired while taking a swig of beer. Logan sat on the stool at the counter and stared at the flowers.

"Her dad was in an accident. It was pretty bad. Rory was a mess and I…"

"You what?"

"I went to the hospital. I just needed to know she was alright. I stayed for a while and then when I heard that everything was all right, I came back here. She showed up at my door late last night and spent the night."

"Did you two…?"

Logan shook his head. "No. We just…slept. It was nice," he said absently. Finn stared at him with his mouth slightly agape.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Logan dragged his eyes away from the flowers and took a sip of coffee as he contemplated Finn's words. Was he? Was he in love with her? He had no idea. He had no idea what love was. All he knew was that he couldn't stop thinking about her. He loved being around her, he loved kissing her, he found he could talk to her about anything. He valued her friendship, but did he want more? Had he - for the first time in his life - fallen in love with someone?

Logan wasn't sure whether he could answer that question just yet. This was new territory for him. He needed to be sure about it himself before he went telling everyone else. He needed to make sure he was ready. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He needed some time to think about things before he threw himself head first into something.

"Logan!" Finn waved his hand in front of his friends face trying to grab his attention.

"Huh!"

"I said-"

"I know what you said, Finn." Logan took a big gulp of coffee and sighed.

"Well, are you?" Finn inquired. He had spent the last six months or so watching his best friend fall in love for the first time with the illusive Gilmore Girl. He had waited his time for Logan to wise up and realise that he was nuts about her. Had he finally caught up with everyone else? Or was he still going to live in denial?

"I don't know." Finn sighed in defeat and laid his head on the counter. After a few seconds he pulled himself back up and stared at Logan.

"I need to ask you a favor, mate."

"No, you are not staying here, Finn."

"Oh please. They kicked me out of my apartment and my parents won't pay for a new place. Please, please, please. You won't even know I'm here," he begged. Logan stood up and walked over to the sink where he washed his mug out. "Come on, Logan. Help a brother out."

Logan turned to glare at him and saw him sitting fluttering his eyelashes with his hands clasped. Logan shook his head and laughed, hating the fact that he was such a pushover. "Fine. But no naked phases and you keep your hands off my stuff. If I find you anywhere near my room I will castrate you."

Finn jumped up from the stool and hugged Logan excitedly. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you. For a minute there I thought you were going to make me go live with Colin, and that boy is _way_ too tightly wound for his own good."

"I am going to regret this." Logan said as he headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home," he finished begrudgingly.

Finn jumped up and down on the spot with a big grin on his face. Logan couldn't help himself from laughing at the crazy Australian. Living with Finn was definitely going to be interesting.

As Logan shut the door behind him, he immediately thought of Rory. He smiled as he shrugged off his shirt and boxers and got into the shower. He had a feeling that things were going to get very interesting in all departments of his life. But was he really ready to take that step? To make a commitment? More importantly, would Rory want him too?

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory let out a frustrated sigh as she reread the same sentence for the umpteenth time that night. She had been busy with classes all day and had then visited her father at the hospital, and was now trying to focus on her studies without much success. Her mind was elsewhere and as much as she tried to distract herself with Proust, it wasn't working.

Giving up, she shut the book over and placed it on the nightstand next to her cell phone. She stared at the phone, thinking about whether she should call him or not. She hadn't seen him since she left his room that morning and she wanted to hear his voice. As pathetic as it sounded, she had missed not seeing him all day.

Rory moved so she was sitting at the edge of the bed and picked up the phone while nervously biting her lip. She tapped her fingers anxiously on the bed before flipping open the phone and took a deep breath. She dialled the familiar number and waited as it rang. After a few rings, he answered.

__

"Hello?"

Rory froze. She hadn't thought about what she would say if he answered. A few seconds passed and she felt herself blush even though he couldn't see her.

__

"Hello?"

"Um, hi." She managed in a quiet voice.

__

"Hey Ace!"

Rory smiled as she heard his warm tone and imagined him smiling brightly back at her. _"How's it going?"_

"Not so good. I can't focus on my studies," she huffed feeling herself relax a little. Logan laughed.

__

"Thinking of me again, huh? Am I just that big of a distraction?"

Rory felt her cheeks grow red again. Was he psychic?

"Get over yourself, Huntzberger." She rolled her eyes as he continued laughing.

__

"So are you home right now?"

"Um, yeah. I'm home." She replied before hearing a knock at the door to her dorm room. "Oh, hold on. Someone's at the door."

Rory pulled herself up off the bed and headed through to the common room.

__

"Is Paris home?"

he asked as she made her way to the door.

"Um, no. She's over at Doyle's. Why?" She opened the door to see Logan standing with a smirk on his face and his phone at his ear. He hung up as she did and bent down to pick up a paper bag which was sitting on the floor in front of him.

"Because, I brought Chinese food and I was wondering if you would like to help me eat it." Rory smiled and leaned against the door.

"Well, you know me. I can never say no to Chinese food." She said playfully. Logan's smile grew wider as he stared at her enticing blue eyes. His eyes travelled over her body, taking in the vision that was Rory Gilmore, messy hair and all.

Rory felt herself come over all uneasy as she felt his eyes on her and pulled the door open wider to invite him to come inside. As he entered the common room, he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Their eyes locked as he pulled away and the room grew thick with sexual tension. He smiled lazily at her and whipped a single white rose from behind his back and handed it to her.

"For you," he said softly. Rory smiled brightly and accepted the flower bringing it to her nose, she closed her eyes and inhaled the scent. As he brushed passed her, she shut the door over and followed him to the couch.

"So, I see you got the flowers then?" Logan nodded as he laid out the Chinese food on the coffee table.

"I did. I have to say, Ace, I've never gotten flowers before."

"Really?" she smiled as she began digging into the food. "You mean _I _took your flower receiving virginity? I'm honored." She joked placing her hand over her heart.

"Hey, you should feel honored. There's not a lot of firsts left for Logan Huntzberger," he said in a serious tone. Rory started laughing .

"Well, then you should be sending me flowers to commemorate such an historic occasion."

"Are you mocking me?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe a little," she replied. Logan smirked at her, his gaze burning through her.

"You know, not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but maybe next time you could get me something a little more…manly."

"Manly?" she almost choked on an egg roll.

"Yeah," he answered seriously. Rory began giggling as she stuffed her mouth.

"You mean, like a cactus or something?"

"Exactly. Flowers don't really highlight my masculinity." He said, trying to hold back the smile that was threatening to overcome him.

"Well, I don't think they do manly flowers," she said sarcastically. "So, next time I want to say thank you, I should just buy you a cactus?"

Logan nodded. "Much more butch."

Rory collapsed in a fit of giggles as Logan frowned.

"Actually, on a second thought, a cactus probably wouldn't be a good idea. Especially with Finn around. He had a bit of a run in with some cacti a few years back in Mexico. He was going through one of his naked phases." He told her cringing at the memory.

"Yikes."

"Yeah. He couldn't sit down for a week." At that image, they both burst into hysterics. As the tears streamed down her cheeks, Logan caught her gaze. The giggling slowly subsided and she felt her stomach do somersaults as his brown eyes bore into hers once more.

Her heart started beating rapidly as she noticed his eyes on her lips. She wanted him to kiss her desperately. Leaning closer, she felt her chest heave in anticipation. Logan raised his hand to cup her face and then as she closed her eyes, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Everything else faded away. All she felt was Logan's lips on hers and she knew in that moment that not even Chinese food could compete with Logan Huntzberger.


	9. Chapter 9: The 'R' Word

**A/N: Hi guys, here's another update for you all. Sorry for the wait. Please read and review. Thanks.**

**I don't own the show.**

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Nine: The 'R' Word

With the arrival of morning, Logan began to stir while harbouring the slightly odd feeling that someone was watching him sleep. As he slowly creaked open his eyes, he saw that to be the case as a pair of bright blue orbs shone back at him. He couldn't hold back the smile that overcame him as he was greeted by the shining vision of his Ace first thing in the morning. She lay on her side facing him, her hair slightly mussed from sleep. Logan thought there could be no better way to wake up than to be greeted by the stunning image before him.

Stretching out his arms and yawning at the same time, he leaned towards Rory and kissed her chastely on the lips.

"Morning Ace. Sleep well?"

"Pretty good actually," she croaked sleepily as she smiled back at him. "You?"

Logan glanced at her briefly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He sniggered as the events from the night before flashed through his mind. "I did. You kind of tired me out last night, Ace."

Rory felt her face turn crimson and she slid under the covers. "Hey, if you can't stand the pace then get out of the kitchen," she joked sleepily. Logan laughed and slid under the covers with her, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. "Logan," she whined as he slung his leg over hers and began placing small kisses on her shoulders.

"Ace, you were the one questioning my stamina," he laughed as he trailed a path of kisses over her neck and jaw, finally finding her mouth in a searing kiss.

"I was not questioning your stamina," she insisted a little breathlessly as Logan rolled himself on top of her and began kissing his way down her body.

"Oh, I think you were," he murmured playfully. Rory then grabbed a hold of his arms and pulled him back up, proceeding to kiss him thoroughly before pushing him onto his back and then rolling on top of him. Logan lay back with his arms behind his head and a huge grin on his face. "You know, if you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was say."

Rory rolled her eyes and swooped down, kissing him passionately. Logan quickly deepened the kiss and then ran his hands over her back, resting on her butt. He pressed her hard against him, letting her know that he was very much awake. As she let out a little moan, a cell phone started ringing in the background.

Rory shifted slightly only for Logan to pull her back down and devour her fully with his lips, his hands in her hair.

"Logan," she muttered while panting from another one of his intoxicating kisses. "Your phone." Even through her hazy mind, she had managed to deduce that it was his cell phone ringing.

"Leave it," he replied in a husky tone. He was too far gone to think about anything other than how much he needed Rory right now. Rory laughed into the kiss before losing herself once more. She thought it quite possible to die from his kisses. The intensity was sometimes too much. Not that she was complaining.

The sound of his cell phone ringing once more snapped her out of her lust-filled daze, and she reached over to answer the phone, which was sitting on the night stand beside her bed.

"Hello, Logan Huntzberger's phone," she answered as Logan nibbled on her ear.

"Um, hello love. Is Logan there?" asked the familiar voice of Finn. Rory whimpered as Logan sucked on her pulse point.

"Um yeah Finn. He's here…he's kind of busy right now," she managed to get out as Logan continued to put her off. He rolled her over and pinned her to the bed before moving his attentions lower to her breasts. He gently licked the nipple of her right breast which elicited a slight moan from Rory, although she tried her hardest to disguise it as she talked to Finn on the phone.

""Yeah, look I don't mean to interrupt you two but you should tell him that his apartment's on fire." Rory's eyes widened both in shock at what Finn had told her and by the pleasure coursing through her body as Logan's tongue continued to work its magic.

"What?" At the sound of Rory's tone, Logan broke away and looked up. Rory sat up as Finn continued.

"Um, _someone_ thought it would be a good idea to have an indoor barbeque and well it seems it wasn't such a good idea after all," said Finn sheepishly.

"What's wrong?" Logan frowned and took the phone from Rory. "Hello?"

"Logan, listen don't panic. Everything is alright. The fire department is on their way…" Logan sighed and climbed off Rory, positioning himself at the edge of the bed.

"Finn, I thought I told you not to burn down my apartment," he said as he placed his head in his hands. Rory pulled herself up and pressed up against his back, kissing him on the shoulder as she tried to listen in to the phone call.

"I didn't burn it down. It's just a little…singed around the edges."

"I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and then turned to face Rory. "I have to go."

"Do you want me to come?" she asked in a concerned tone. Logan smiled and moved himself off the bed.

"Nah, It'll be okay. I mean once I kill Finn, everything will be fine." Logan said as he picked up his clothes from the floor where they had been tossed haphazardly the night before.

Rory watched from the bed as he got dressed feeling slightly voyeuristic. She had seen him naked now on many an occasion, but there was something a little weird about watching him walking around her bedroom with not a stitch on. Not that he seemed to mind too much as she admired his fine physique.

As a small smile crept over her face, an idea popped into her head suddenly. Reaching over for her own cell phone, she took a quick picture of him in all his glory. The sound of the camera clicking caught Logan's attention, and he quickly turned around with a curious look on his face.

"What was that?" Rory hid the phone under the covers and stared back at him as innocently as possible. Logan narrowed his eyes at her as he pulled up his pants.

"I heard a noise." Rory shook her head and shrugged as she fought against the huge grin which was threatening to give her away.

"I didn't hear anything." Logan eyed her sceptically and noticed her arm under the covers.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing," she stated a little too succinctly.

"Ace," he said as he moved towards the bed.

"Logan, it's nothing. Now don't you have a burning building to go attend to?" she said trying to change the subject. However, Logan was having none of it. Quickly, he reached under the covers and grabbed the phone from her grasp. "Logan!"

Ignoring her, Logan began searching through her phone only to come across a close up of his naked butt. Smirking, he turned around to face her and raised his eyebrows at her.

"What?" she shrugged trying to brush it off but the color of her cheeks was giving her away.

"Are you aware that there is a picture in your phone of my naked butt?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"Really? Huh!"

"Ace, I never knew you were so kinky," his smirk grew wider as Rory's face turned the colour of beetroot.

"I'm not kinky. I was just…getting revenge," she said simply, trying to sound aloof.

"Revenge?"

"Yeah, for the picture you took of me in my pyjamas." Logan frowned as he tried to remember what she was talking about.

"And how exactly does a naked picture of me line up with one of you fully clothed?"

"Well…" Logan grinned evilly at her as he moved closer towards the bed. Rory felt slightly nervous at the look on his face. She recognised that look. He had that mischievous glint in his eyes that no good could ever come of.

"You know, if you really wanted to make this fair then you'd let me take a picture of you naked," he smirked. Rory laughed uncomfortably.

"Ha! Not going to happen, Huntzberger," she said and firmly wrapped the covers around her body before he had the presence of mind to whip them off her. Logan smirked and then bent down to retrieve his shirt from the pile on the floor.

"Oh, it'll happen, Ace. When you least expect it. I will have that hot little body of yours photographed for the world to see."

"Dream on," she rolled her eyes as he finished buttoning up his shirt. He then sat on the bed as he pulled on his shoes. He leaned over to kiss her. Deepening the kiss immediately causing her to lose all rational thought processes, he laid her back on the bed before grabbing the sheet from her grasp and whipping it off. He then proceeded to snap a picture of her, completely naked, with his cell phone.

"Hey, no fair," she whined as he pulled away, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, if you can't stand the pace…" he repeated her earlier words to her as he left the room. Rory narrowed her eyes and threw a pillow in his direction. "See you, Ace," he called from the common room. Rory fell back on the bed with a smile on her face. She picked up her cell phone and sent him a message. It read; Jerk!

RLRLRLRLRL

She was in a rush. Her class had run late and she was in a hurry to get to the hospital to see her father, Christopher. She had visited him almost every other day since the accident. In some kind of twisted way, it seemed that Christopher almost dying had brought father and daughter closer together.

On her way to the parking lot, Rory made a stop at the coffee cart as she needed her fix before she could even contemplate driving the short distance to the hospital. As she waited in line, her mind wandered off with itself. She thought of the thing which she thought of almost constantly of late; Logan Huntzberger.

They had been spending a lot of time together lately, hanging out, watching movies, making out, and having sex. They had become almost inseparable and Rory had discovered, not too surprisingly, that she rather enjoyed spending large quantities of time with him. However, she was confused by what it all meant.

The dreaded 'R' word hadn't come up even though she wanted to talk to him about it. Were they in a relationship? Were they exclusive? Or were they merely friends who had sex on occasion? If it was the latter, Rory knew she couldn't let it continue. Casual wasn't her style. She didn't want to share him with anyone else. In fact, she wasn't willing to share him with anyone else. She wanted Logan, that she was sure of, but she didn't want him to feel pressured into something that he wasn't ready for. She knew him well enough to know that relationships were not his style, but she wanted to believe that for her, maybe he would change his mind.

After paying for her coffee, Rory headed across the quad towards the parking lot where she was met by the oncoming blonde figure of Stephanie, one of Logan's oldest and closest friends.

"Hey Rory!" she greeted her in her usual chirpy manner.

"Hey."

"I hear congratulations are in order." she smiled knowingly. Rory frowned unsure of why she would be in need of congratulations.

""For what?"

"For what!" she said a little too loudly, a huge smile on her face. "You did it. You skipped the line and you landed the whale."

"What are you talking about?" Rory was seriously confused.

"Logan!" she exclaimed causing passers-by to stare at the pair. "I heard all about it."

"You heard all about what, exactly?"

"I heard that you two have been spending every waking and unawake hour together. Finn says Logan has hardly been at the apartment these last few weeks." Rory tried to hold back the smile which was threatening to break free, but it was no use.

"I knew it!" Stephanie yelled excitedly. Rory closed her eyes and shook her head as the embarrassment took over. "I cannot believe someone finally tied that boy down. You deserve a medal. There should be a monument dedicated to you."

"Stephanie, will you calm down. Logan and I are just friends. We are not together, or at least not officially."

"What do you mean? You're sleeping together, right? You spend every moment together? Neither of you are seeing anyone else, right?"

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"I don't know. We haven't actually talked about it."

"What's to talk about? He's clearly nuts about you. I have known Logan for a long time and I have never seen him as hung up on someone as he is on you."

Rory smiled faintly as she took a sip of her coffee, letting that thought sink in.

"Do you want me to talk to him? I'm pretty good at getting idiotic boys to listen to me. I've had a lot of practice over the years. It comes with the territory when your three best friends are male."

"Thanks, but I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually."

""Logan? He's a guy. If you wait around for him to do something, you could be dead before he finally makes his move." Rory shook her head while feeling slightly disheartened.

Stephanie watched Rory intently, noticing her change in demeanour. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Rory glanced up and furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"Well, Rosemary, Juliet and I are all heading out for the night. A real girl's night out. You want to come?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Oh, what? You need to check with the old ball 'n' chain?" Stephanie joked. Rory shifted her position and then nodded.

"Fine."

RLRLRLRLRL

"So, how is school, Rory?" Emily asked as she passed her granddaughter her drink.

"School is good. I love my classes this semester." Richard smiled fondly as he listened to Rory speak so warmly about Yale.

"That's good to hear. Education should be enjoyed." he admitted. Rory smiled as she took a sip of her soda. She sat next to her mother in the living room as they waited for Friday Night Dinner to be served.

"How are things at the Inn, Lorelai?" Emily asked as she took her seat next to Richard.

"Things are fine, Mom. They're grrreat!" Lorelai joked. Rory laughed before receiving a glare from Emily.

"Don't encourage your mother, Rory. She's a grown woman. Honestly Lorelai you would think you would be able to answer a simple question without making some silly reference." she chastised. Lorelai rolled her eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Sorry mom." As Lorelai sipped on her Martini, the maid entered the room.

"Miss Gilmore. Dinner is ready."

"Oh thank god. I'm starving." Lorelai exclaimed as she jumped up from her seat. Emily stopped her in her tracks.

"Hold it back, Arianne. Our guests haven't all arrived yet." she said calmly. The maid nodded and scurried away. Lorelai glanced at Rory who gave her a shrug in reply.

"Um, mom? Who else are we expecting?" Lorelai enquired. Emily sipped her drink and smiled.

"Hmm?"

"Who's joining us for dinner? Because, last time I checked you only had one daughter and one granddaughter who you agreed to feed every Friday night."

"Lorelai."

"You didn't invite a priest did you? Because I know you think I'm possessed. But believe me, I really don't want to do questionable things with a crucifix or see my head spinning around. And I have no desire to throw up right now. I mean, I'll wait to see what's for dinner first."

"Lorelai!" Emily admonished her daughter just as the door bell rang. A broad smile came over her face and she left the room to greet her mystery guest.

"Dad?" Lorelai asked her father as to who was joining them. Richard simply shrugged his shoulders. He was as much in the dark as the two girls were.

Rory leaned back on the couch, straining her ears, trying to hear who it was. She couldn't believe her eyes when her grandmother returned holding the arm of one Logan Huntzberger. Her eyes widened in shock as Logan stood sharply dressed in a navy blue suit, with a warm smile on his face. Emily was beaming.

"Logan!" Richard was the first one to greet the unexpected guest. He rose from his seat and walked over and shook his hand.

"Hello, Richard. It's good to see you." Logan responded while glancing at Rory, whose jaw was still on the floor. He smiled.

"It's good to see you, son. "

"I'm sorry I'm late. The traffic was terrible." He said trying to explain his tardiness. Rory narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"We're just glad you made it." Emily admitted warmly and led him over to where Rory and Lorelai were sitting.

"So, Logan how is your father? I haven't seen him at the club in a while." Richard enquired genuinely interested. Logan drew his eyes away from Rory and forced a smile at the mention of his father.

"He's fine. He's Mitchum, you know." His answer seemed to be enough for Richard who nodded and sat back down on his chair holding onto his glass. Emily leaned towards Lorelai who was sitting watching her parents with a knowing expression on her face. Emily shoved her on the arm and gestured for her to move.

"What?" Lorelai questioned Emily's latest crazy request.

"Move." Emily told her as quietly and discreetly as possible. Lorelai apparently wasn't moving as quickly as Emily wanted her to and so she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her from the chair.

"Logan? Why don't you sit here next to Rory? Lorelai will sit with me, that way you two can catch up." Logan nodded as Rory glared at her mother. Lorelai focused on rubbing her now bruised arm.

Logan unbuttoned his jacket and sat down next to Rory. He glanced at her and gave her one of his patented smirks. Rory used all of her reserves not to let herself be affected by that smirk. Or by the fact that his hand was resting right next to hers. She just itched to reach out and touch it. But she couldn't, not while her grandparents were sitting in the same room. She was pretty sure they already had them both pegged as the perfect match. If she were to show any interest in Logan whatsoever, they would start planning the wedding before Rory and Logan had even figured out where they both stood with each other. If the idea of being someone's boyfriend freaked him out, she was sure the prospect of marriage would send him running for the hills.

"After seeing Logan at the hospital the other week, we've been meaning to invite him to dinner. Tonight was the perfect night." Emily explained as she handed Logan his drink. Rory smiled before taking a sip of her soda. She suddenly wished she had asked for something stronger.

"It was very nice of you, Emily." Logan said politely.

"Oh nonsense. You're at college now, someone has to make sure you have at least one decent meal inside you." replied Emily. Logan laughed and leaned back against the seat, his arm brushing against Rory's. Rory shifted slightly, opening a small gap between them. She really didn't want her grandparents getting the wrong impression, or the right one.

"Miss Gilmore? Would you like me to serve dinner now?" asked Arianne in a small voice. Emily frowned at the petite woman.

"Of course I would like you to serve dinner now. That is your job after all." she scolded her. Lorelai shook her head as the now terrified woman hurried off in the direction of the kitchen. "Shall we?"

Emily gestured for them all to gather in the dinning room.

"Finally!" exclaimed Lorelai once again as she heard her stomach rumble for the umpteenth time. As Richard, Emily and Lorelai headed into the other room, Rory tugged on Logan's arm indicating for him to hold back.

"So…what are you doing here?" she asked decisively. Logan smiled before leaning forward and cupping her cheek with his hand. He caught her off guard as he placed his lips on hers in a soft kiss.

"I'm having dinner." he said simply. He smirked as he pulled away and left her standing slightly dumbfounded.

RLRLRLRLRL

"So, Logan. I assume you will be graduating soon?" Richard enquired as the group sat at the dinning table, eating the food Emily had prepared. The evening so far had been full of free flowing conversation. It seemed that Richard and Emily Gilmore were big fans of Logan Huntzberger. Whether that was because he was charming company or through the fact that he was the heir to the Huntzberger fortune, Rory wasn't sure. There had been plenty of subtle enquiries regarding his position on marriage and children. But thankfully, not of embarrassing proportions. So far, things had remained pleasant. Plus, she had been able to keep her cool and not give anything away.

"Just a couple of months." Logan replied as he washed down his food with some wine.

"Will you be joining your father's company straightaway or-"

"-Pretty much straightaway. I assume. I'm not sure." Rory watched Logan closely as he spoke of his future plans. There was no excitement or emotion in his demeanour. If anything, she sensed frustration and a slight hint of annoyance at having to talk about it.

"Mitchum will have it all planned out, no doubt."

"No doubt." Logan murmured with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"No shop talk at the table, Richard." Emily interrupted pleadingly. Richard smiled at his wife and nodded.

"I apologise, Emily. I was just interested in the boy's plans."

"I'm sure Logan doesn't want to talk about it, grandpa." Rory added before taking a sip of wine. Logan glanced at her as she sat next to him at the table. He smiled and silently thanked her for rescuing him from having to talk about the one thing he hated talking about more than anything; His future. Or lack there of. He hadn't ever spoken to Rory about what his father had planned for him after graduation, but somehow, she had sensed that it wasn't a subject he was particularly thrilled to discuss. The thought made him smile.

"I apologise." Richard said genuinely. Silence descended for the first time that evening, not even Lorelai was able to come up with anything to lighten the mood. Logan sighed and then placed his fork on the table before removing his napkin and pushing out his chair.

"Emily, would it be alright for me to use your bathroom?" he asked politely. Emily smiled warmly.

"Of course, Logan. Rory? Why don't you show Logan to the bathroom?" she suggested, hoping that by sending them off together they would have the opportunity to talk. Alone.

Rory's eyes widened as Emily stared back at her. "Um, okay." she said slowly. Pushing out her chair, she glanced at her mother who gave her a knowing look.

"Don't be too long. Dessert is still to come." Emily called out as Rory and Logan left the room in silence.

"I'm really sorry about the inquisition." Rory said breaking the awkwardness between them. Logan smiled.

"Don't worry about it." Silence fell once again as Rory led him in the direction of the bathroom.

"So…I ran into Stephanie today." she said deciding to use this opportunity to talk to him about the thing which had been on her mind.

"Yeah?" he asked absently. His mind elsewhere.

"Yeah. She congratulated me."

"For what?"

"For finally tying you down." Logan furrowed his brows as he glanced at her.

"What?" Rory shrugged her shoulders casually, trying to give the impression that she didn't care while at the same time her heart was pounding as she seeked his reaction.

"Apparently, she thinks you and I are together. Like boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Really?" Logan asked not giving anything away.

"Yeah. I have no idea where she got that idea from."

"Well, we have been spending a lot of time together lately. She probably just assumed." he said trying to hide the smile from his face.

"Maybe." she nodded. They finally arrived at the bathroom and both stopped.

"Would it really be such a bad thing?" Logan asked quietly, catching her off guard. Rory's head snapped up quickly, her eyes focused on his.

"What?" Logan smiled at her reaction.

"You and me. Together." he said simply. Rory was sure her heart was beating a million miles a second as he stood before her. She used all of her strength to maintain some kind of composure.

"What about all the other girls?" she wondered. Logan shrugged.

"What girls?" Rory rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Give me your phone." Logan eyed her curiously before handing over his prized possession. Rory immediately began scrolling through his phonebook. "Well, there's Abby, Alice, Alicia, Amy, Annabel, Anika, Anita, Anya, Ashley, Ashley B, Ashley J, Blonde hottie…need I go on?" she smirked even though she felt sick. Logan took the phone from her and slid it back into his pocket.

"Those are old." he told her lamely.

"Uh huh." she smiled faintly before a serious look grew over her features. "It's none of my business."

Logan watched her expression intently and wanted to reach out and pull her close and wrap her up in his arms. He wanted to scream at her and make her realise that none of those girls could hold a candle to her. He wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her that he hadn't so much as glanced at those girls or any other girl since they had hooked up. He wanted to tell her that for the first time in his life, he was a one woman guy _and _that he was happy about it. But something was stopping him. Her tone, her demeanour was preventing him from being completely open and honest with her. He wasn't willing to put himself out there if she wasn't feeling the same way as he was. But he wanted to test the waters.

"What if I want it to be your business?" he asked seriously, his eyes glued to hers. Rory frowned, curious as to his meaning.

"What do you-?"

"There you are!" exclaimed Lorelai, joining the pair with a rather harassed expression on her face. "Please don't leave mommy alone with the crazy people."

The moment was over, Logan and Rory broke eye contact and turned their attention to Lorelai. Rory smiled at her mother. "Sorry."

Glancing back at Logan she gestured towards the bathroom and took her mothers arm. "This is you." Logan nodded and opened the door. He caught Rory's gaze one last time before disappearing inside. Lorelai turned to her daughter, who was still staring at the now closed door. Lorelai studied her for a second and shook her head.

"Okay, so fill me in. What is the deal with you and Prince Charming?" Rory glanced absently at her mother who was staring her down. Rory sighed. _If only _she_ knew herself!_

RLRLRLRLRL

Saturday night had arrived and Rory was sitting in a booth next to Paris who had decided to tag along on her girls night out. The music was loud, and the club was jam - packed full of people dressed up in outfits which Paris didn't approve of. Rory tapped her feet to the beat of the music and took a sip of the cocktail which Stephanie had forced on her. As she swallowed the vibrantly coloured liquid, she felt her throat burn. It was much stronger than her usual.

She sat in the darkness watching as Stephanie, Rosemary and Juliet strut their stuff on the dance floor. She smiled warmly as she saw them dance provocatively with a group of guys who thought it was their lucky night. However, as soon as the song finished, the girls bid them farewell and returned to the booth, breathless through a mixture of dancing and laughter. Paris sat with a scowl on her face causing Stephanie to roll her eyes.

"Oh my God! Did you see that guy? I think he thought he was Elvis or something." exclaimed Rosemary as she continued giggling at the loser guys. Stephanie snorted and took a sip of her Cosmopolitan.

"He was wearing blue suede shoes for crying out loud."

"Someone needs to inform him that it is no longer 1955. The Beatles came and conquered and a guy walked on the moon." Juliet joked. Paris straightened up.

"Actually I like Elvis. I find his music to be light years before his time." She said straight faced. Stephanie, Rosemary and Juliet stared at her for a moment.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, he was a real hottie but a grown man dressing up like him…that's just weird." Stephanie explained causing the rest of the table to laugh. Rory shook her head as she noticed Paris fold her arms over her chest and mumble something unpleasant under her breath.

"Hey, speaking of hotties, where's Logan tonight?" Rosemary asked with a glint in her eyes. Rory took another sip of her drink and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know."

"He's probably tucked up in bed with some blonde." added Paris sullenly. The four girls stared at her in disbelief. Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Paris as she noticed Rory's worried expression.

"And why aren't you tucked up with Doyle tonight? Did he stand you up?" Paris glared at her before sliding out of the booth.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Stephanie shook her head and returned her attention to Rory.

"Why are you friends with that girl again?" she asked seriously. Rory smiled faintly.

"She has her moments. She can be as blunt as a nail in the head but she's loyal as a dog." Rory informed her. Stephanie sat back and finished off her drink.

"That girl scares me." admitted Juliet. At that, a tall brunette sat down in Paris' chair and smiled at the group.

"Hey Steph." she greeted her. Stephanie shifted in her seat and glanced at Rory before returning her attention to the new arrival.

"Hey Cassandra." she forced a smile. She felt very uncomfortable in this girl's presence, considering who she was and considering who was sitting right beside her. "How are you?"

"Oh you know. I haven't seen you around in a while." she smiled and glanced at Rory who was still absently sucking on her straw. Rory smiled back at her only to be surprised when Cassandra sent her a death glare. She looked over at Rosemary and Juliet who both just shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess we've been busy lately."

"I haven't seen anyone lately. You, Logan. How is Logan these days?" Cassandra asked sweetly, knowing all the while that he had been spending most of his time in the company of the girl to her left. Stephanie glanced at Rory and smiled.

"Logan is fine. He's been a little preoccupied." Cassandra glanced back at Rory briefly.

"So I heard." she bit out and slid out of the booth. "I have to go. It was good seeing you Steph. We should do lunch sometime."

Stephanie gave her a fake smile and nodded as the brunette drifted off into the crowd. Rory watched her go and then turned her attention back to Stephanie.

"What was that all about? Why did she look at me as if I stole her most prized possession?" Stephanie laughed at her choice of words.

"Because you did." Rory frowned; she had no idea what she was talking about. "Remember when I congratulated you for skipping the line?"

Rory nodded as she sucked on her straw.

"Well, Cassandra was the girl you skipped in front of. And by the looks of it, she's not very pleased." Rory looked off in the direction Cassandra had disappeared in.

"She and Logan…?"

"They went out on a date. It didn't end the way she would have liked. I believe he ended it early because he was so desperate to get back to you." Stephanie filled her in. Rory's mind raced back to the night at his apartment when he had returned home early from a date. He had let her use his place to study and she had fallen asleep. That was the night they first slept together. Rory felt a smile creep over her features as she remembered that night.

"Oh my god! Look at your face! You've gone all doey-eyed." laughed Rosemary causing Rory to blush.

"I think it's romantic." Juliet admitted clasping her hands with a dreamy look on her face. Rory decided that she needed to get away from them before she died of embarrassment.

"I'm going to get another drink. Who wants one?" All three girls nodded and giggled as Rory slid out of the booth and headed for sanctuary at the bar.

As the night continued, so too did the flow of alcohol. Rory was in the process of learning that if you mixed your drinks, you usually ended up slightly more drunk than if you stuck to the same one. Not that that was a bad thing, the tipsier she got, the more she loosened up and enjoyed herself.

She, Stephanie, Rosemary, and Juliet had pretty much become permanent fixtures on the dance floor. Paris had gone home earlier.

Rory could feel the beat of the music vibrate in her chest as she let the music take over. A few guys had sidled up beside her trying to get close to her, but she had remained in her own world. Just dancing, and enjoying herself with her friends.

Exhaustion was beginning to take a grip of her as it felt like they had been dancing for hour's non stop. Deciding that she needed a break, Rory stumbled over towards the booth they had procured earlier and slid in less than gracefully. After a few moments, she felt her pulse return to normal and she watched as Stephanie performed some rather dirty dance moves with the cute guy she had claimed for the night.

Wiping her hand over her sweaty face, Rory sat back and reached for her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and checked to see if she had any text messages or voicemails. Nothing. Disappointed, she put the phone back in her bag and slumped against the back of the booth.

Her mind returned to Logan. She wondered what he was doing right at that moment. Was Paris right? Was he tucked up in bed with some other girl? She had no idea and it killed her. She thought about the night before, about him turning up at her grandparent's house. She thought about the conversation they had. What did he say? Something about wanting her to care. What did that mean?

Rory let out a breath of frustration, her head hurt from thinking about the state of her non relationship with Logan. She had had too much alcohol to be able to decipher his cryptic words. However, she wanted to fix things once and for all. She wanted to know where she stood. She should go over to his apartment and bang on the door until he gave her the answers she required, but she wouldn't. She would instead have another drink and try and forget all about Logan Huntzberger. For an hour at least.

As she was about to slide out of the booth, she was joined by a sharply dressed dark haired guy, who was smiling brightly at her.

"Hi." he said simply. Rory glanced up at him and hiccupped.

"Hi." The guy's smile broadened and he gestured towards the seat next to her.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He was sitting beside her before she could answer. "I'm Eric."

Rory frowned slightly before shaking his hand. She looked him over, studying his sharp features. His green eyes shone back at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Derrick." she replied.

"No, Eric!" he corrected raising his voice over the music.

"Eric. Sorry." There was silence between them as he waited for her to introduce herself. Rory shifted nervously as she felt his eyes bore into her. She glanced back at him and noticed him laugh slightly.

"Do you have a name?" he asked loudly. Rory smiled, feeling like an idiot.

"Rory."

"Rory. I've never heard that before."

"Yeah, it's a nickname. My name is Lorelai after my mother, but everyone calls me Rory." she rambled drunkenly. Eric turned towards her, placing his drink on the table.

"So, Rory…I was watching you dancing out there. You looked incredible." he said genuinely. Rory felt herself blush as he moved a little closer. "You had every guy in this club drooling over you. I just had to come over and introduce myself."

Rory nervously brushed the hair from her face as Eric flirted with her. He was definitely attractive, but he wasn't her type.

"So, do you go to Yale?" he enquired politely. Rory raised an eyebrow sizing him up to see whether he was a psychopathic killer or not. She decided that he was perfectly harmless and so settled down to make conversation with him.

"I do. What about you?"

Eric nodded and smiled warmly. "I'm a fourth generation Yalie. It's in my blood."

Rory laughed as she slid off her shoes. Her feet were hurting. "My grandfather went to Yale."

"I bet he's proud of you." Eric declared and Rory smiled as she envisioned her grandfather beaming with pride.

"So, who are you here with?" she asked as she scanned the crowd for Stephanie, Rosemary, and Juliet. They were still dancing.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, won't whoever you're here with be wondering where you are?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me already?" he eyed her curiously. Rory leaned forward and placed her hand over his.

"No. I just…" Eric smiled and laced his fingers through hers.

"Can I get you a drink?" Rory glanced at the table to see her empty glass and then returned her gaze to him.

"Sure. Thanks." Eric slid out of the booth and headed towards the bar. Rory sat back and watched him go. She smiled as her eyes roamed over his retreating figure. He was cute. He was sweet. Her eyes lowered to his butt and she felt herself blush as she shamelessly checked him out.

Suddenly, she was overcome with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure whether it was to do with the amount of alcohol she had consumed or because she was talking to some random guy when she was involved with Logan. Well, technically, she wasn't involved with Logan. They weren't officially boyfriend/girlfriend. She could talk to whoever she wanted to. In fact she could make out with him and spend the night at his place and she wouldn't be breaking any rules. So, why did the thought of going home with this guy make her feel sick? Why did she all of a sudden feel guilty for being friendly with another guy? She felt guilty for even thinking about going home with him. And its not like she would. One night stands weren't her thing. But the fact that she could and it wouldn't be a problem was bugging her profusely. She wanted Logan to care. She wanted Logan to want her all to himself. She wanted him to not want to share her, just like she didn't want to share him. But he didn't.

Eric returned to the booth as Rory remained entrenched in her thoughts. He placed a glass in front of her and moved so he was blocking her way out. He watched her intently before finally speaking.

"Are you okay?" he asked loudly over the noise. Rory glanced at him and then at her drink and smiled.

"I'm fine." Eric moved closer again and placed his hand on her thigh, causing her to feel very uncomfortable.

"Listen, a bunch of us are heading back to my place. Do you want to come with?" he leaned towards her, his hand still on her thigh. Rory contemplated his invitation. She knew what would happen if she accepted. Her relationship with Logan would forever remain the way it was. That wasn't what she wanted.

She looked at Eric and removed his hand from her leg. "I can't. I'm sorry." Eric watched her blankly for a few minutes and then frowned.

"Why not? It'll be fun. Invite your friends along if you want." he said gesturing towards the three girls on the dance floor. Rory sighed.

"I don't think so." she shook her head and gathered her things together. Eric grew even more frustrated.

"Is it me? You're not interested."

"No, you seem like a nice guy. I just…"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he questioned curiously. Rory froze. That was the big question. That was the question for which she had no reply. Did she have a boyfriend? She wanted to know that herself.

She needed to talk to Logan. She needed to sort things out with him once and for all so that she knew where she stood. So that if in future, if a guy asked her that, she could give them a definitive answer. Instead of the one she was about to give Eric.

"Um…" Eric narrowed his eyes and held a hand up.

"It's okay. Maybe some other time." he shrugged and slid out of the booth, leaving her alone with her drunken thoughts.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

About a half an hour later, Rory found herself standing outside Logan's apartment, propped up against the wall as she contemplated banging down the door to demand answers. After Eric had left her at the bar, she had worked herself up to the point where she was angry at herself as well as Logan. By this point though, she had forgotten her reasons for being angry at Logan and just wanted to know what was going on between them.

Peeling herself off the wall, she moved forward and took a deep breath, before rattling on the door. She lost her footing slightly and stumbled into the door as she waited for him to answer. She listened for a few minutes to hear any movement coming from inside, only to be met with silence. Frustrated, she started banging loudly on the door.

"Logan." She called out and leaned against the wall. Still no answer. Searching through her purse, she pulled out her cell phone; she would call him to find out where he was. Maybe he was out. Maybe he was out with that Cassandra girl. Cursing under her breath, she flipped open her phone and scrolled through her phonebook for Logan's number. Her vision was slightly blurred so it took her a while to work the thing. Enough time, for her to get frustrated, give up and resort to banging on his door again.

Finally, she heard some noise behind the door, and moved quickly away as she heard someone unlock it from the other side. Appearing at the other side of the door was a rather sleepy and somewhat pissed off looking, Logan. Rory smiled widely and threw herself into his arms.

"Logan!" she called out as Logan rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Ace, what are you doing here?" Rory pulled away and peered inside the darkened room.

"I wanted to see you." she slurred as Logan let out a yawn.

"That's sweet. But it's like two in the morning." he complained and leaned against the doorframe, closing his eyes.

"Well, it's important, Logan." she said seriously. Logan sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair. He roamed his tired eyes over her body, taking in the sight of her long legs on display. She looked seriously sexy in her denim skirt and her tight blouse.

He smirked as his eyes trailed over her curvaceous body and suddenly he felt much more awake.

"Is this some kind of booty call?" he remarked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Rory glared at him; although inside she was not unaffected by the way he was looking at her.

"No, Logan. This is not a booty call. What do you take me for?"

"Well, then can't it wait?" he yawned again.

Rory frowned and stumbled towards him. Logan instinctively reached out to catch her, but she pulled out of his grasp.

"No. It can't. I can't. I'm going crazy here, Logan. I need to know where I stand. I need to know what exactly is going on here, because I don't know and it's driving me crazy." she said getting herself worked up. Logan stared at her as though she had gone insane. He then let out a sigh and then figured that he may as well get comfortable as he was in for a long night.

"Ace-"

"Don't. Don't 'Ace' me and don't give me the eyes that make me melt and forget why I'm here in the first place. You always do that. Well not this time, bucko! You're not getting away with it."

"Rory, I have no idea what you are talking about." he insisted. Rory just snorted and continued on with her drunken rambling.

"I want to know."

"You want to know what?" he asked exasperated.

"Tonight, I was at a club with Stephanie and Rosemary and Juliet and Paris, although Paris left early. She probably went back to Doyle's place. You know you have problems when Paris' love life is more stable than yours…" she went off at a tangent. "Anyway, I was at the club with-"

"Stephanie, Rosemary and Juliet. Yeah I got that part." he interrupted, his frustration growing.

"Right. So, we were at the club and we were dancing and drinking-"

"No kidding."

"And this guy came over." Logan frowned at the mention of the guy. "His name was Derrick or Eric or something like that. He was nice. He goes to Yale and his family all went to Yale. So, we were just talking and he was really sweet and then I checked out his butt and I started feeling guilty for checking out his butt because the only butt I should be checking out is your butt. But then I thought about it and I shouldn't feel guilty about checking out another guys butt, because you and I are just…whatever. I can look at whoever's butt I want. Right? I mean, I shouldn't feel guilty for talking to someone else. But I did. I felt like I was cheating on you or something, which is ridiculous because to cheat on someone, you actually have to be in a relationship with them and we are not in a relationship so…"

"Rory." he tried to interrupt.

"I mean, I'm sure you don't feel guilty when your off with Abby or Ashley or Blonde hottie. But then, you're a guy. Guy's are less emotional when it comes to sex. You just spread it around and it means nothing. You can sleep with as many random girls and it doesn't affect you. Well, it affects me. I want to be with you Logan. I want you to want to be with me. I want me to be enough for you. But, I guess that just isn't going to happen, right? I guess you're just not a one woman guy and I know that. I knew that before but-"

"Rory!" he almost yelled at her finally getting her attention.

"What?" he smiled at her as she glared at him.

"I haven't been with another girl since you and I first got together. Nor have I wanted to be with any other girl." he said simply. Rory let his words process in her mind for a few seconds before she could fully comprehend what he was telling her.

Acting on impulse, she threw herself into his arms and captured his lips in a searing kiss. Logan opened his mouth to her, deepening the kiss instantly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her firmly against him. As the kiss grew in intensity, the lack of oxygen became a problem and they pulled apart. Logan rest his forehead against hers as they both panted for breath. He smiled broadly as he kissed her forehead.

"So, this _is_ a booty call." he joked. Rory raised her eyes to his and smirked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Take me to your bed." she breathed out huskily before planting her lips on his once more. Logan duly obliged and quickly closed the door behind them as they made their way, still attached at the mouth, to his bedroom. Stumbling and giggling as they entered his room, he immediately began unbuttoning her shirt as soon as the door closed. Rory helped him in the removal process as best she could; however, her hand-eye coordination wasn't up to its usual standards thanks to the amount of alcohol in her system. Her hands roamed over his chest, bunching up his shirt. She raised his arms up above his head and pulled the shirt off to reveal his toned, tanned chest and abdomen. She lightly stroked her fingers over his chest, tickling him slightly before being consumed by so much passion, she kissed him with fervour. Logan returned the favour as he unzipped her skirt and let it drop to the floor. He helped her step out of it and then pulled her over to the bed where he lay down and she hovered above him. She straddled his waist wearing just her black lacy bra and boy shorts. Logan pushed her away gently so he could get a good look at her sitting above him. She looked incredible. He had never wanted anyone or anything more than he wanted her right now. Smiling up at her lust filled eyes, he ran a hand down her torso possessively.

"Mine." he murmured causing Rory to smile brightly down at him. She leaned forward and kissed him passionately before reaching back to unclasp her bra and then Logan slid it off her arms. He reached up and grasped her firm breasts in his hands. Rory moaned and threw her head back as he massaged her mounds.

Pulling himself up, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him so that they were skin to skin. It felt incredible having her soft, supple breasts pressed against his chest. He kissed her briefly moving his attention to her neck. Rory moaned as he found her pulse point with his tongue. She clung to him as she felt something pressing at her core as she sat straddling him. Realising what it was, she felt her stomach flutter and tightness in her groin. Unable to resist, she began rocking back and forth, grinding into him. Logan groaned as the feeling intensified. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and felt his hands slid down over her back and his fingers tugging on her underwear. Lying back, he pulled her down with him and continued working on removing her lacy boy shorts. He slid them over her hips and she kicked them off with her legs. He then reversed their positions so he was now on top. Drunkenly, Rory began going about ridding him of his pants and boxers. He kissed her ferociously before breaking away and then reaching over; he pulled open his bottom drawer and brought out a packet of condoms. He made quick work of removing one from its wrapper and then carefully slid it onto his penis before quickly entering her. He couldn't wait any longer. He needed her now. He wanted to tell her that she was the only woman for him, instead he decided, he would show her.

"Rory." he murmured as he slowly began thrusting inside of her. Rory moaned in pleasure and wrapped her long legs around his waist. They moved together, in sync with one another. Her hips bucking up to meet his as they worked at a steady rhythm. With every thrust, he pushed her closer to the edge. Rory wrapped her arms around him as the pleasure built. She was determined to hold back for him.

Eventually, they reached that peak. Logan collapsed on top of her as they both felt their release. Panting for breath, they both lay in silence contemplating what had just happened. They had had sex before but not like this.

Logan rolled off her and remained by her side as he tried to catch his breath. His mind registered the fact that this wasn't just sex for him. It was sex with someone he truly cared about. Then it hit him, this was the first time he had ever made love to a girl before.

Glancing over at her naked form, he smiled and leaned over her placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Rory kissed him back and was then pleasantly surprised when he pulled her closer and wrapped her up in his arms. She lay her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating rapidly underneath, lulling her to her most peaceful sleep in weeks.


	10. Chapter 10: Figuring Things Out

****

A/N: I had gone off this story for a little while, but I think I'm back on track now. I hope you agree. Please read and review. To the girls at the MC fan forum, I'm continuing our mission. Hopefully, others will follow suit. I dedicate this chapter to my beta, Megan. I'll be thinking of you on the big day. Good Luck!

I don't own anything.

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Ten: Figuring Things Out

As Rory drifted into consciousness, the pounding in her head made her silently curse the person who ever invented alcohol. Groaning in pain, she slowly opened her eyes and reached out her hand to seek solace in the warmth of the body beside her, only to find herself alone in an empty bed. Confused, she glanced around the room to find no sight of the elusive Mr Huntzberger.

Due to her delicate condition, she took a few minutes before finding the strength to move from the comfortable bed. She found a shirt, which she was pretty sure belonged to Logan, draped over his chair and pulled it over her head, covering her nakedness. Fighting against the thumping headache she was currently suffering, she noticed the two tiny white pills and the glass of water sitting on the bedside table. Smiling through the pain, she reached over and swallowed the pills, washing them down with the glass of water.

Making it to her feet, she found her way slowly towards the bedroom door. As she opened the door she was greeted by the image of Finn sitting on the sofa with his feet up watching TV, eating a bowl of cereal, while wearing sunglasses. Rory shifted her gaze around the room, searching for Logan but he was nowhere to be found.

"Hello, Love." Finn greeted her throatily. He was clearly struggling himself. Rory wandered further into the room and sat down on the chair across from him. She took in his dishevelled appearance. His clothes were all wrinkled from the night before, and his hair was messy.

"Hey." she said softly. The sound of her voice was causing her head great pain.

"You don't look so hot." he informed her, lowering his glasses to look at her. Rory noticed the black eye he was hiding.

"Neither do you." she hit back. Finn replaced his glasses covering his eyes and stuffed a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"You should see the other guy." he muttered as he began channel surfing. Rory lay back on the chair, pulling her legs up, hugging them to her chest before realising that that wasn't helping the nauseous feeling in her stomach. She closed her eyes and groaned.

"Where's Logan? Is he here?" she asked while rubbing her head with her hand. Finn kept his eyes on the TV as he answered her.

"Logan's in Seattle 'till next week; some business thing his fathers dragging him to. He left early this morning." Rory's eyes flew open as Finn spoke.

"What?"

"He didn't tell you?" Rory sat up.

"No, he didn't say anything about a business trip." she was fairly certain he hadn't mentioned anything the night before about going to Seattle.

"Well, in fairness, I would imagine you didn't do much talking last night." Finn smirked making Rory feel uncomfortable.

"Finn!" she scolded him for his lascivious tone.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Love. Having a healthy sexual appetite is perfectly natural." Rory felt the nauseous feeling return and quickly got to her feet. Once the room stopped spinning, she made her way back to Logan's bedroom.

"Oh, Logan said that you could stay for as long as you wanted. Make yourself at home!" he called after her as she closed the door behind her. She slowly climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over her head. She couldn't believe that Logan had just left. Just like that. He hadn't told her at all. The least he could've done would be to leave a note to let her know.

A few hours later, after some more sleep and a refreshing shower, Rory went about making herself some breakfast. The nauseous feeling had faded to be replaced by hunger so she decided to help herself. She filled the coffee pot with water and let it brew as she poured herself some cereal. While waiting for her coffee to brew, her mind turned to the events of the previous night. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she remembered what Logan had told her about him not being with anyone else and not wanting to be with anyone else.

It might not have been the declaration of undying love that the romantic in her had wanted, but she could live with it. The thing that was bugging her though was that he had just left, without a word. Granted, they didn't do much talking the night before, but he still could've said something.

"Oh you're up!" Finn greeted her as he entered the kitchen. He was sans glasses this time, so she could see the extent of the black eye he was nursing. Narrowing her eyes to study the huge bruise, she wondered how he got it.

Finn opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a carton of orange juice. He poured himself some juice and jumped up on the counter beside her.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened to your eye?" Rory asked as she poured her coffee into a mug.

Finn shrugged. "Just some girl's boyfriend. He was jealous because she wanted to come home with me instead of him." He filled her in. Rory rolled her eyes and headed through to the living room with her mug and bowl of cereal. Finn followed her.

"Aren't there enough single girls on the planet?" Finn smirked.

"Actually, no." he answered and plopped himself down on the couch beside her. Silence fell as Rory enjoyed her morning coffee. Finn kept his eyes on her.

"You look better than you did this morning." he told her. Rory smiled.

"Gee, thanks." she said sarcastically. Then there was more silence. Rory shifted in her position as she tried to work up the nerve to ask him about Logan.

"Finn…?"

"Yes, Love."

"Did Logan…? I mean, did he…?" she hesitated. She wanted to ask whether he had said anything to him about her or the state of their relationship.

"Did he say anything about you?" he helped her out. Rory glanced at him, her eyes wide.

"Yeah." she nodded. Finn smiled and flung his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, he was on his way out when I got in this morning, but I could tell he seemed pretty happy." he admitted squeezing her arm.

"But, he didn't say anything about me?" Finn's smile grew wider, he loved toying with her. She was too easy.

"He told me what happened with you showing up drunk last night." Rory shrunk into the couch feeling embarrassed by her drunken behaviour. "Look, I wouldn't worry about it, love. When he gets back, you two can sort everything out." he assured her and then jumped up from the couch and headed to the front door. "Lock up when you leave okay. Logan will kill me if we get robbed while he's away."

Rory shook her head as the crazy Aussie left the apartment. She still felt no clearer as to the state of her relationship with Logan, but she would just have to wait until he got back before they could figure things out.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Logan let out a yawn. He was bored out of his mind and seeing as he hadn't had much sleep the night before, he was seriously contemplating just closing his eyes and letting sleep overcome him. The glare his father sent him though, quickly changed his mind. He pulled himself up slightly so he was sitting straight on his chair and tried not to look too bored as the group of his fathers business automatons rambled on and on about things which he had absolutely no interest in.

After the meeting, Mitchum bid farewell to them all and then closed the door. He fixed Logan with a look which he recognised all too well. Logan sighed and leaned forward on the chair.

"You know, it would be nice if you at least tried to look interested." he said with irritation in his voice. It was a tone Logan was very familiar with. It was usually preceded by the 'you're not living up to your full potential' speech.

"Sorry." he replied lamely. He really didn't want to get into an argument with him.

"Sorry, isn't going to cut it, Logan. You're graduating this year. In a few months time you will be joining the company. I am trying to help you prepare for that. But, you just sit there yawning, looking at your watch, staring out the window. How do you think that looks to our employees, Logan?" Mitchum's voice was beginning to get louder as his frustration with his son boiled over. Logan narrowed his eyes and stood up.

"Like I said, I'm sorry. I'll do better next time. I'm tired, okay. You dragged me here, I'm here. I'm sorry if I'm not bubbly enough, but that's too bad." Logan threw back at him. Mitchum folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm going to get some coffee." he passed his father and slid out the room. He walked the short distance to the staff break room and poured himself some coffee. He sat down and took a sip while closing his eyes. He stretched out and put his feet up on the coffee table, another yawn escaped. He felt exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep.

As he felt himself begin to drift off, the sound of his cell phone ringing woke him up. He shifted so he could pull out his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was Rory. He smiled sleepily before a frown crept over his features. He let the phone ring out and closed his eyes over again. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Falling asleep, his last thoughts on Rory. He would call her back later.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

After class, Rory and her distracted mind returned to her dorm room just as Paris was leaving. She sped past her without a word and disappeared around the corner. Rory went inside and straight to her room. She flopped down on the bed, feeling glad to be back in her own bed.

Just as she felt her eyes closing, there was a knock at the door. Groaning, she pulled herself up off the bed and headed through the common room to answer.

She was surprised to see Colin standing before her.

"Hi." Colin shifted his position and lifted his hand to wave.

"Hey, sorry to just show up like this." he said as she gestured for him to enter. "I was home studying…" Rory looked at him sceptically. Colin smiled but ignored her. "…I couldn't find a book I need and I was wondering if I left it here."

"Oh, um…which book is it?" she asked. Colin wracked his brain trying to think of the title.

"It has a purple cover." he offered lamely. Rory smirked and shook her head.

"A purple cover?"

"I think so." Rory rolled her eyes and headed through to her room, she had a pretty good idea where the book was.

"So, I hear you crashed at Logan's last night!" he called through to her. Rory froze as she searched for the book.

"How did you…?"

"Finn told me." he answered. Rory frowned. Of course Finn couldn't keep his mouth shut. She noticed the book sitting under a pile of her own. Once she had successfully removed it from the pile, she rejoined him in the common room.

"I was a little tipsy last night." she said as she handed him the book. Colin accepted it from her and smiled.

"It happens to us all." Rory nodded. "It's a bummer he's in Seattle. He sounded pretty bored on the phone earlier." Rory snapped her head up, her eyes wide in anticipation.

"You talked to him?" Colin hesitated before answering.

"Um, yeah. He hasn't called you?" Rory shook her head in reply. Colin hugged the book to his chest and shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry about it. He said he was going to be pretty busy. He probably just hasn't had a chance to call you. His Dad likes to work him hard on these trips." he tried to placate her but Rory still felt uneasy at the situation.

"Look, I should go. I have to go pick up the keg." he said as he headed towards the door. Rory frowned.

"You're having a party?" Colin furrowed his brow as he looked back at her.

"Yeah, Logan's birthday party." he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Its Logan's birthday?" she asked surprised.

"You didn't know?" Colin suddenly felt bad about bringing it up.

"Um, no I didn't."

"Sorry, I thought you knew. Its this Wednesday. We're throwing a party at his apartment." he filled her in on the details. Rory looked confused.

"I thought he was in Seattle until next week?"

"He is." Colin said sharply.

"So, you're throwing a party for his birthday, even though he's on the other side of the country?"

"He'll be there in spirit." he joked. Rory's confusion grew. Colin relented. "We planned the party before Mitchum decided to drag Logan to Seattle. So, Finn figured, and I concurred, that we might as well just have the party this week and then have another one when Logan gets back."

Rory shook her head. "Any excuse to drink and get wasted, right?" she laughed. Colin smiled and nodded his head.

"Hey, its been a stressful year. We have earned the right to have as many parties as we want to." he defended himself. Rory laughed again.

"Well, have fun." Colin paused and stared at her for a second.

"You should come." he said simply. Rory thought for a moment.

"Oh, I don't know. I have a lot of studying and…"

"…and you need a night off. Come on it'll be fun." Rory considered it. She knew full well that if she didn't say yes, both Colin and Finn would hound her into submission.

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Cool." Colin smiled. "Well, I should go. I left Finn in charge of decorations. He's probably decided to paint himself gold." Rory laughed at the thought and followed him to the door.

"I'll see you, Gilmore." Rory waved as he disappeared down the hall. Her thoughts turned to Logan as she closed the door behind her. She had called him earlier, she had left him a message, but he hadn't called her back. He had called Colin, but not her. Maybe he was trying to tell her something. Maybe he regretted the whole thing already.

RLRLRLRL

Wednesday arrived without much fanfare for Logan as he awoke alone in his hotel room. He groaned as he heard his cell phone ringing. His mind hadn't fully adjusted to consciousness when he answered it. Hoping it was one of his friends calling to wish him happy birthday, he was disappointed to hear his father's angry voice on the other end of the line.

__

"Logan, where the hell are you?!"

Logan cringed and moved the phone away from his ear as Mitchum's voice bellowed through the receiver.

"Dad…"

__

"You were supposed to be here at nine o'clock sharp. There are people waiting for you. Get down here now!"

Logan rubbed his head as the line went dead and placed his cell phone back on the table. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was 9.15a.m.

He sighed and sat up, pulling off the covers. He dragged himself out of bed and into the en suite bathroom and got into the shower. As the warm water washed over him, he thought about where he would rather be spending his birthday, and it did not involve a lonely hotel room and a day of boring meetings with his father and his employees. He wondered what his friends were up to. He was pretty sure they would have had something crazy planned to commemorate the occasion. He smirked at the thought.

Reaching for the shampoo, he worked it into his hair closing his eyes so he didn't blind himself. His thoughts soon turned to Rory. He wondered what she was doing. He still hadn't called her back and he wasn't sure why. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her, he did. He just didn't know what to say to her. Things between them had grown more serious than he had ever imagined possible, and being away from her gave him the opportunity to think about things properly. His feelings for her were slightly overwhelming, and it frightened him how much he could care for one person. He silently wished that he was spending his birthday with her. He missed her, and that scared him more than anything. He was becoming very attached and this was new territory for Logan Huntzberger. He had never needed anyone in his life before, and he was fine on his own.

As he rinsed his hair, it occurred to him that maybe he was wrong. He needed _her_, and it scared the hell out of him.

When he finished with his shower, he wrapped a towel around his hips and dried off the rest of his body with a second one. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his cell phone deciding to check his voicemail.

Pressing the button, he heard Finn's drunken rambling about missing him and wanting him to come home. Logan couldn't help but laugh. Then there was a message from Honor, wishing him a happy birthday. Colin was up next. However, his message didn't mention anything about his birthday. It started with him calling him an idiot, a moron and the biggest fool he'd ever known. Logan was confused at first until Colin told him to call Rory and stop being such an ass.

The last message was from Rory. She, like Honor, wished him many happy returns, but he could hear something in her voice that made him realise what Colin was talking about. There was doubt and confusion evident in the way she spoke, asking him to call her or not. She was trying to sound casual and detached, but Logan had gotten to know her pretty well over these last few months and he knew when something was bothering her. And he was certain that him not calling her would definitely lead to her feeling insecure about them.

The truth was, that the longer he had gone without talking to her, and the more time he spent thinking about them on his own, he had managed to freak himself out about being in a committed relationship. He wasn't having doubts about them, but about himself and whether he could really cope with the responsibility of having her heart in his hands, metaphorically speaking. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew himself too well and wasn't sure if he could change the habits of a lifetime. Even if he wanted to, and he really wanted to.

Ten minutes later, he was dressed and in the lobby waiting to have his father wail on him for being late. When he finally found him, Mitchum barely acknowledged his presence. He glared at him and then shoved a folder at him. There was no mention of the fact it was his birthday. In all honesty, Logan wouldn't have expected any different.

RLRLRLRL

Rory had been in two minds as to whether she should go to Logan's birthday party. The longer she had gone without hearing from him, the more certain she became that Logan had changed his mind about them and was avoiding her. She didn't think she would feel comfortable hanging out in his apartment with his friends, celebrating the day of his birth. However, when Stephanie had showed up at her door and dragged her along, she hadn't had much choice in the matter.

As the evening wore on, she felt herself loosen up a little and she actually started to have fun. She forgot about Logan and just focused on enjoying herself. The fact that Finn, Stephanie and Colin had all made it their joint mission to make sure she had fun too helped.

Having managed to prevent injury while dancing with Finn, Rory found a spot on the sofa and took a breather. She was soon joined by Robert, Colin's friend. He always had the ability to make her feel uncomfortable around him. She didn't like the way he looked at her.

"Hey, can I get you a refill?" he asked noticing her glass was nearing empty. Rory bit her lip and then decided to let him. She handed him the glass and smiled as he walked away. She then found herself joined by Colin who had a concerned look on his face.

"What are you doing talking to Robert?" he enquired as he took a swig of beer.

"He offered to get me a drink." she shrugged. Colin eyed her suspiciously. Rory laughed and then hit him on the shoulder as he smiled.

"So, you having fun?" he said changing the subject. Rory nodded.

"I am. I actually am. Thank you for inviting me."

"So, have you heard from…?" Rory cut him off. She didn't want to think about Logan. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. He didn't even have the decency to tell her to her face that he obviously regretted the whole thing. He hadn't returned any of her messages. She was done, finished. Okay, so maybe she wasn't completely over him, that was the alcohol talking, but she was thoroughly pissed off.

"No. And I don't care." Rory insisted. Colin shifted on the sofa, feeling a little awkward. Rory sighed and then started to feel a little thirsty. She looked towards the wet bar and frowned when she noticed Robert talking to some other girl. She shook her head and then grabbed Colin's cup from his hand.

"Hey!" he complained as she downed the contents and then wiped her mouth as she handed him the cup back. Colin just looked at her, half annoyed and half in awe that she could drink like that.

Rory turned to him and studied his face. "Can I ask you a question?"

Colin leaned over and put his now empty cup on the coffee table and sat back, folding his arms over his chest.

"Sure."

"Why did you break up with me?" she wondered causing Colin to narrow his eyes. "I mean, you just said that it wasn't going to work. You never told me why."

Colin sighed as his face grew serious. He stared back at her. "You never looked at me the way you look at him."

Rory frowned. Colin laughed. "I saw the way you two were around each other and I knew Logan liked you. Logan has been my best friend since we were in the womb, practically." Rory made a face at that. Colin went on. "In all those years, I've never seen Logan care about anything other than having fun, and then you came along. I saw him struggle with the fact that he couldn't get you out of his head. He's my best friend; I want him to be happy. You make him happy, I've seen it. So, I stepped aside."

Rory let his words sink in. She felt they didn't quite ring true considering she hadn't heard from Logan since the night before he left. "If I make him so happy, why hasn't he called me all week? Why do I feel like I'm the biggest idiot on the planet for thinking that Yale's biggest playboy would give it all up for me?"

"He has." Colin jumped in. "These last few weeks, Logan has changed so much. I'm guessing the reason he hasn't called you is because he's noticed that too. I know for a fact that he is crazy about you, but you just need to give him time to figure it out in his head."

Rory shrugged and let out a sigh of frustration. Her eyes trailed around the room, watching as everyone enjoyed themselves. She suddenly felt the urge to go home.

"I'm going to go." Colin sat up and inclined his head to the side, studying her.

"Stay." Rory placed her hand on his leg and gave it a squeeze and then got up from the sofa.

"I'll see you later, Colin." She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She needed to figure some things out too. Colin watched as she headed towards the door and sighed. He hated being in the middle. As much as he loved Logan, he really wanted to smack him upside the head for being so stupid. Colin knew that if Logan wasn't careful, he was going to lose the best thing that ever happened to him.

RLRLRLRLRL

As the cab pulled up, Logan paid the driver and slid out. He gathered his suitcase and made his way inside. He was still a little angry, but he was glad to be back home. He felt the tiredness kick in from the flight and wanted nothing more than to head upstairs and collapse on his bed, forgetting the rest of the world, especially his father.

He wasn't supposed to be back until the weekend, but after getting into a particularly nasty confrontation with his father, he left. He had spent most of the day being yelled at, and ordered around, until finally, Logan snapped. He had had enough and let Mitchum know it. They had gotten into a huge argument and then Logan walked out. He headed back to the hotel, packed his things and checked out. He had managed to get a flight back and was grateful to be back where he belonged. Home. He just wanted to forget all about this birthday and go to sleep.

In the elevator, he leaned back against the wall and closed his tired eyes. He rubbed his temple and let out a heavy sigh. Then a thought occurred to him, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and opened it, roaming through the phonebook, until he came to her name_._ He smiled as he thought about calling her, but his hesitation led to him chickening out.

As the elevator reached his floor, the doors opened and Logan reached down taking his suitcase and entered the hallway. As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he frowned as he heard loud music coming from his apartment. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a mass of drunkards dancing and making out. He saw Finn standing in the corner talking to someone and felt his anger boil over.

"Finn!" he yelled over the music. He caught his friend's attention and a few others as he sat his suitcase on the floor beside him and crossed his arms over his chest. Finn smiled happily and bounced over to give his friend a hug. Logan didn't flinch. He was pissed. "Finn, what the hell is going on?"

"Its your birthday." He shrugged. Logan glared at him. "We were just throwing you a party to celebrate."

Logan opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Colin who was not looking very happy to see him.

"Out!" he ordered and began leading him back the way he came. Logan tried to pull free of his grip, but he was surprisingly strong.

"Colin, what the hell?" Colin stopped once they reached the hallway and folded his arms across his chest, fixing Logan with his 'don't mess with me' face. He turned to go back into the apartment but was blocked by Finn. "Guys…"

"Go see Rory." was all Colin said. Logan stared back at him, a little bit surprised by his abrupt tone.

"What?"

"You need to go see your girlfriend, and make sure she knows how sorry you are for being a complete and total ass."

"Colin…"

"No. Don't 'Colin' me. You need to fix this and do it now, before she realises that you are not worthy of her and finds someone else. Go." he insisted pointing to the elevator. Logan sighed before looking back at Finn, who was copying Colin's stance.

"Fine." he relented and made his way to the elevator followed by his two best friends. The doors opened and he walked in, Colin and Finn stood watching all the way.

"Happy Birthday, mate." Finn shouted as the doors closed and Logan was left alone with his thoughts. He was going to kill both of them, but then again, maybe their hearts were in the right place. He did need to talk to Rory. He just hoped she would listen.

RLRLRLRLRL

The sound of someone knocking at the door woke her from her peaceful sleep. She groaned and rolled over hoping Paris would answer and chase away whoever was bothering them at such a late hour. However, she soon remembered that Paris was staying over at Doyle's place and that she would have to drag herself out of bed. Cursing whoever it was, she pulled back the covers and crawled out, pulling on her dressing gown and shoving her feet into her slippers. She shuffled through to the common room yawning all the way and then unlocked the door. She was thoroughly surprised to see Logan standing in the hall half smiling; half wishing he was anywhere but there.

Rory brushed her hair from her face and frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"

Logan shoved his hands in his pockets, obviously nervous about her reaction. "Hey."

Rory felt her anger build as he stood before her. "So, you can speak. You haven't lost your voice, that's not why I haven't heard from you."

"Look, you have every right to be mad at me..."

"Oh thank you for giving me permission to be mad at you." she said sarcastically. Logan sighed and fixed her with his brown eyes.

"Can I come in? I really don't want to do this in the hallway." he looked around about him; he really didn't want to cause a scene, especially this late at night.

"Fine." Rory moved away from the door and he followed her inside. "So, what do you want?"

"Can we talk?" he asked in a calm voice. He could feel Rory's anger radiating off her and in all honesty, he didn't blame her for feeling that way. She had every right to be pissed with him. He just hoped that she would at least hear what he had to say.

"What do you want to talk about, Logan?" she asked while tapping her foot and crossing her arms over her chest. It was very hard to take her seriously while she was wearing large bunnies on her feet, but he refrained from making any cute remarks, for fear of pissing her off even more.

"Us." he hesitated. Rory let out a laugh of surprise.

"Us? So, _now_ you want to talk about us. _Now_, you can be bothered. Wow, I feel honoured." Logan sighed as her bitter tone washed over him.

"Rory, I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked wide-eyed and shrugging. Logan was confused.

"For not calling you. I should've called. I wanted to call, I just…"

"…you just, what?" Logan glanced up at her and sighed. If he wanted to save his relationship with Rory he would have to be completely honest with her. She deserved that much at least.

"I panicked." Rory frowned. "That morning after we…I lay beside you just watching you sleep. I felt peaceful, calm…" A pause."…happy. And then the mind numbing fear set in. While I was away, I had a lot of time to think about things, about us." he began wandering the room. "I'm graduating soon, and I have a lot to deal with right now with my Dad constantly on my back. My whole life has been planned out for me, except for you. And that's a little scary. I wasn't expecting to feel this way about anyone. I figured I would end up like my parents, miserable and faking it for the rest of my life. My grandfather told me to find someone who would compliment me, who would challenge me. I did; you. And I'm sorry, but I'm a little freaked out by that. I didn't think I would be anywhere near ready to commit to someone, but I am. I want to be with you. I just need you to understand that I might screw up from time to time. I'm going to need your help, if we're going to do this."

Silence descended as they stared back at each other, both contemplating his words. He suddenly felt very vulnerable and very uncomfortable with how honest he had been with her. The longer she went without responding, the more of an idiot he felt.

"I mean, _if _you still want to do this?" he spoke softly, lowering his gaze to the floor. Rory felt her heart melt and took a step towards him, engulfing him in a warm embrace. Logan, slightly surprised by her reaction, held on to her for dear life. She looked up at him, with a small smile on her face and reached up to place her lips over his in a sweet kiss.

"I do." she whispered softly and brushed her lips over his once more. Logan felt relief wash over him.

As she pulled away, he yawned, feeling the events of the day catching up with him. Rory laughed.

"Am I boring you?" Logan smiled down at her and ran his fingers through her soft hair before kissing her again.

"Its just been a long day." he informed her and let out another yawn. Rory leaned back and studied his face. He did look dead on his feet and on his birthday as well. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "I should go see if I can check into a hotel. Finn's throwing me a birthday party at my place, so…"

"I know. I was there earlier."

"Yeah, well who knows when that'll be over." He kissed her forehead and moved away from her. Rory reluctantly let go and followed him to the door.

"Why don't you stay here?" she asked. She didn't like the thought of him alone in some dreary hotel room on his birthday. Logan glanced back at her and frowned.

"I don't want to push my luck." he said simply, with a smile on his face. Rory shook her head.

"You wouldn't be." she said as she grabbed his hand and started pulling him with her towards her bedroom. "Just sleep, no funny business."

She closed the door behind them and then started removing his jacket. Logan watched her closely trying to figure out where exactly she was going with this. When he felt her fingers unbuttoning his shirt, he stopped her.

"I thought you said no funny business?" he asked in a quiet voice. Rory smiled up at him and resumed unbuttoning his dress shirt.

"I did. You can't sleep in your clothes, Logan." she told him firmly and then un-tucked his shirt from his pants. Logan smirked and then helped her remove his shirt. He watched her as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. She let his pants slide down his legs and he stepped out of them. He quickly got rid of his socks and shoes and then pulled her close to him, loving the feel of her warm body against his. He breathed her in and then bent his head down to indulge himself in a slow, lingering kiss. Rory pulled back and then grasped his hand in her own, leading him over to the bed. She pulled back the covers and climbed in, Logan followed. They both lay on their side, facing each other, staring deeply into each others eyes. Rory ran her hand over the side of his face as he let out another tired yawn. Rory smiled as she felt him pull her closer to him, wrapping her up in his arms. She suddenly felt very tired herself and snuggled in closer, enjoying having him there with her. As mad as she had been at him, she couldn't deny how much she missed him.

As they settled under the covers, Rory lay listening to him breathing. She stroked her hand lovingly over his chest and placed a kiss where his heart was.

"Happy birthday, Logan." she whispered as she drifted off, lulled to sleep by the sound of his heart beating. Logan opened his eyes and smiled, tightening his grip around her.

"It is now." he kissed her hair and let sleep take over, safe in the only place he wanted to be.

****

A/N: A nice little fluffy ending for you all. Again, please review. You'll make my day. Thanks.


	11. Chapter 11: The Calm Before The Storm

****

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. I just got distracted with some of my other stories. I kind of let this one lay to the side. However, I'm back and feeling really good about where this story is going. This chapter is kind of fluffy and kind of filler but it's necessary filler. The next two chapters are going to be kind of intense. The title of this chapter points to that. 'The Calm Before The Storm'. This is definitely the calm part. Look out for the storm to arrive soon.

I don't own a thing.

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Eleven: The Calm Before The Storm

As Rory slowly drifted into consciousness she felt something rough brush over her shoulder followed by something smooth and warm. She opened her eyes and found herself smiling brightly as she was greeted by the wonderful image of her boyfriend - yes, boyfriend - planting kisses over her arm and shoulder. She rolled over slightly and locked eyes with a pair of sexy brown ones. He smiled down at her before moving in to steal a good morning kiss. Rory surrendered herself to the kiss.

"Good morning, girlfriend." he smirked as he pulled away. Rory giggled stupidly and let out a yawn. She stroked his stubbly face and peered into his eyes.

"Good morning, boyfriend." She felt her stomach flutter as the words came out of her mouth. She had never felt as happy as she was at that moment.

Logan continued planting kisses over her face and neck before moving lower. He disappeared under the covers and a thrill of excitement shot through her body when she felt his soft lips trailing over her lower stomach and abdomen. Nervously, she bit her lip as she contemplated him moving lower but instead he came back up for air and captured her mouth in a hungry kiss. He moaned into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers were playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. He broke the kiss when oxygen became a necessity and remained gazing down into her blue eyes.

Rory smiled up at him as he brushed her hair from her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Well, that is a very pleasant way to wake up in the morning." she murmured. Logan shifted off her and rest his head in his hand as he lay beside her.

"Definitely beats having Finn burping in your ear." he agreed. Rory scrunched up her face and shoved him away.

"Eww that is gross." she scolded him. Logan laughed.

"Try living with him. I'm actually dreading going home. The place will be a mess, that's if he hasn't burnt it down again." Logan said lazily rolling onto his back. Rory smiled and rolled her eyes as she snuggled up beside him.

"He's not that bad! " Logan wrapped his arm around her and smirked.

"Yeah right." Logan had images of his beautiful apartment burnt to a crisp and Finn staring at him with that big dopey grin on his face.

"So, what are we going to do today on our first official day as a couple?" Rory changed the subject and placed a kiss on his chest as she burrowed further into his side. Logan kissed her hair and began tracing patterns on her arm with his fingers.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" he asked. He had a pretty good idea as to what he wanted to do and it didn't involve either of them moving from her bed.

"Well, we could go to the pub." she suggested. She really didn't want to go to the pub. She was quite happy staying right where she was. But she didn't want him to think that she was a clingy type of girlfriend. If he wanted to hang out with his friends at the pub she was fine with it.

"Nah." was his reply. Rory smiled.

"We could stay here." Logan smirked as he felt Rory's fingers running down over his chest and under the covers. As soon as he felt her hand on him, he was a goner. The only thing he wanted to do now was her.

"I like that plan." he admitted and pulled her on top of him capturing her mouth in a mind blowing kiss, until they were interrupted by the sound of his stomach making gurgling noises. Rory broke away and looked down at his stomach. She then looked back at him.

"Was that your stomach?" she wondered. Logan shook his head and laughed as it continued growling.

"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday." he told her. "And the food on the plane was pretty awful so I didn't eat much." he added. Rory pulled away and placed her head on his stomach listening as it continued making hunger sounds. She giggled and then moved back level with him.

"There's food in the fridge. Just stay away from anything with the letter 'P' on it. That's Paris'." Logan sat up and groaned as he pulled the covers off him and the cold air hit his chest. He made his way through to the common room and raided the fridge looking for something to eat. He was pretty hungry. In fact, he was starving.

He scanned the tiny fridge looking for something edible when there was a knock on the door. He reached into the fridge and took out an apple. It had a sticker with the letter 'P' on it but he figured Paris wouldn't mind him eating one of her apples.

He took a bite out of the apple as he made his way to the door. Without thinking, he opened it and was met with a gasp as Emily Gilmore stood before him. Her eyes wide, her jaw on the ground. He suddenly remember that he was only wearing his boxers.

__

Great!

"Hey Emily." he greeted the elder woman trying to remain as calm and natural about it as possible. She remained silent staring at him with a horrified look on her face.

"L-Logan." she was completely thrown by the appearance of the Huntzberger heir standing half naked in her granddaughter's dorm room.

"Um, come on in. You must be looking for Rory." he opened the door inviting her in. She slowly entered still in a state of shock. "I'll just go get her."

He quickly spun around and headed for Rory's room. Once inside he shut the door and leaned against it.

"Hey did you find something to eat?" Rory asked. She was sitting up in bed reading a book. Logan rest his head against the door and took a deep breath as he prepared for Rory's inevitable freak out.

"Um, yeah. I found something alright." he joked and then sat on the edge of the bed. He gazed at Rory and bit his lip. "Ace, now don't freak out but…"

"But what?" Rory asked him curiously.

"Well, Emily's here." he said quickly. Rory frowned and placed the book she was reading on the nightstand beside her.

"Emily who?" she asked not quite getting who he meant. Logan sighed.

"Emily Gilmore. Your grandmother."

"What?" Rory started to panic. "Where?"

"Outside. In the common room."

"WHAT?!" Immediately she threw off the covers and reached for her dressing gown. "My grandmother is in the next room?" She began pacing the room tidying things that didn't need tidying. Logan watched her from the bed. He was still wearing only his boxers and it took Rory a few seconds to realise that he had answered the door to her grandmother while being half naked.

"Did you…? Did she…? Oh my god!" she sat back down and Logan moved beside her. He rubbed her back and held her hand as she took deep breaths. She was having a panic attack and he was trying to calm her down.

"Rory?" She shot up straight when she heard her grandmother's voice call her from the other room.

"Oh my god! She's going to kill me. Then she's going to kill you." She stood up and began pacing again.

"Will you calm down? You're going to give yourself a heart attack. Then she won't be able to kill you because you'll already be dead and I will be climbing out the window." He said jokingly only to receive a death glare from his girlfriend. He was pretty sure she was seriously re-evaluating the whole girlfriend thing at that precise moment.

"Get dressed and less of the jokes, mister. This is serious, Logan." She threw his shirt at him and then padded over to the door. She placed her hand on the door handle and then took a deep breath before opening the door and entering the common room to face the wrath of Emily.

Logan was seriously considering just staying where he was and locking the door behind her. Emily was a smart woman. He had no doubt that she knew exactly what his intentions were with her granddaughter. And they weren't honourable in the slightest. He had to admit the window looked very appealing at that moment.

RLRLRLRL

"Hey Grandma." Rory smiled as the elder woman turned to look at her. She didn't smile. She fixed her with the infamous 'Emily' glare. A look of disgust and disappointment.

"Rory." she nodded.

"So, um…what brings you here?" she asked hesitantly. Emily removed her gloves from her hands and then folded her arms across her chest.

"What is going on, young lady? Why is Logan Huntzberger answering your door practically naked? This is no way for a young woman to behave. Your grandfather would have another heart attack if he found out about this." Emily unloaded on her. Rory sighed and pulled her dressing gown tighter.

"Grandma, I assure you this isn't as bad as it looks. Logan and I are together. Like dating together. He stayed over last night but nothing happened. We just slept together. Well, not slept together. I mean, we slept together as in we were both sleeping and were both together in the same bed, but nothing happened. He was too tired. Not that anything would have happened if he wasn't too tired…" she rambled putting her foot in it continuously. Emily studied her closely before a small smile appeared on her face.

"You and Logan are dating?" she asked getting Rory's attention.

"Um, yes. We made it official last night." she explained. Emily beamed at her and then excitedly threw her arms around her granddaughter, hugging her tight.

"This is wonderful news. Your grandfather will be so happy." she smiled broadly at her as she let her go. Rory stood speechless as the door to her bedroom opened and Logan crept out with his gaze lowered to the ground. He was fully dressed now, much to Rory's relief.

"This is cause to celebrate. How would you two like to join me for some lunch?" Emily grinned. At the mention of food, Logan looked up and was met by two pairs of eyes.

"Great. I'm in." He couldn't resist an invitation knowing there would be food involved. He could suffer through a lunch with Emily Gilmore as long as it meant he could get something substantial to eat.

"Wonderful. Rory?" Emily's eyes fell on her granddaughter and after scowling at her potentially ex-boyfriend, Rory smiled at her grandmother.

"Sure. Sounds good. Just let me go get dressed." she sauntered passed Logan and glared at him as he nodded. She closed the door behind her leaving Logan and Emily alone together. Emily remained smiling for a few moments. Logan felt slightly more relaxed in her company until her face grew more sombre.

"So Logan, what exactly are your intentions with my granddaughter?" she sat down on the sofa while he shifted uncomfortably.

"Um…"

"Don't get me wrong, I think you and Rory make a wonderful match, but I am aware of your reputation. I do not want her to become just another notch on your bedpost." she said calmly. Logan's eyes went wide at the mention of his reputation. He really didn't want to discuss his sex life with Emily Gilmore. But he figured it was purely assurance from him that she was seeking and so he duly offered her the truth.

"Emily, Rory means a lot to me. I care a great deal about her. I promise that you have nothing to worry about regarding my commitment to her." he said firmly meaning every word. Emily smiled broadly at him and nodded her head in approval.

"Good to know. Just do me a favour?" She asked. Logan raised his eyebrows. "Put on some clothing the next time you answer a door. I don't want people getting the wrong impression about Rory."

Logan smirked and nodded. "I promise that won't happen again."

"Good."

RLRLRLRLRL

"Emily Gilmore saw you in your underwear?!" Stephanie asked giggling as Logan and Rory told the story to their friends.

"Yep." Logan nodded. "A few minutes earlier and she might have seen something else." he joked and Rory shoved him in the chest.

"Logan!" she squealed, appalled by his suggestive tone. They sat in a booth in the pub celebrating their newly cemented relationship with Colin, Finn and Stephanie.

"Wow! I would have peed in my pants if I came face to face with Emily Gilmore wearing only my undies. Your lucky she didn't skin you alive." slurred Finn.

"Don't I know it." Logan smiled uneasily as he took a swig of his scotch.

"I would have jumped out the window." Colin piped up.

"Hey, I considered it." Logan informed him only to receive another nudge from Rory. Logan smiled and leaned forward placing a kiss on her lips. "But I didn't. I stayed. I would never dream of abandoning you, Ace."

Rory glared at him with a light smile playing on her lips. "Good."

She leaned in for another kiss and Logan duly obliged. Colin rolled his eyes and made a gross gagging sound.

"I'm going to throw up." he said and edged out of the booth heading for the bar to get in the next round. He was happy for his friends but he didn't need to see them smooching.

Rory broke the kiss when her cell phone started ringing. Logan groaned and she rolled her eyes.

"It's my mom. I'll be right back." She slid passed him and answered the phone as she headed outside. "Hello? Mom?""

__

"Oh hello. So you do remember me then?"

"What?" Rory asked confused.

__

"Nothing. I just received a lovely phone call from your grandmother telling me what a terrible mother I am. How I set such a pour example for you that you think it is acceptable to have half naked men wandering around your dorm room."

Rory bit her lip nervously as her mother continued raving. "Mom"

__

"Oh, she also told me how she had a lovely lunch today with you and your boyfriend, Logan. Guess who had no idea what she was talking about?"

"You?"

__

"Me. Thanks for leaving me out of the loop, kiddo. Thanks for letting Emily be the one to tell me that you have a new boyfriend."

"Well, you have met him before."

__

"He wasn't your boyfriend then."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I've just been so busy with school and then it all happened so quickly. I'm sorry. I should have told you first."

__

"Yes, you should have."

Rory could tell her mother was pouting.

"I apologise profusely."

__

"What does that mean?"

"What?"

__

"Profusely? Don't go using your fancy big Yale words with me, Missy. I don't find it impressive when I'm mad at you."

Rory giggled and smiled as she heard Lorelai laugh over the line.

"Are we ok?" she asked tentatively. She heard Lorelai sigh into the phone.

__

"Oh you know I can never stay mad at you for very long."

"Good."

__

"Just please tell me that you have pictures of Emily's face when Logan answered the door in the buff."

Rory rolled her eyes and smiled. "He wasn't in the buff. He had his boxers on."

__

"Still. I would pay good money to have seen the look on her face. Tell Logan that the next time I see him, I want a detailed description."

"I'll let him know."

RLRLRLRLRL

"So, what are we doing this weekend?" Logan asked as Rory settled back into her space beside him. He gave her a smile and put his arm around her shoulders. Rory snuggled up against him and took a sip of her newly freshened drink.

"We should go away this weekend. Celebrate your birthday properly." Colin suggested.

"I'm up for that. Where to?"

"How about Martha's Vineyard? Your parents still have the house there, right?" Logan nodded and then looked down at Rory.

"You up for it?" he asked. He didn't want to go without her. Rory smiled and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"In omnia paratus." she said causing Logan to laugh. He pulled her closer against him and Rory closed her eyes as she enjoyed being in his arms. She could definitely get used to being Logan Huntzberger's girlfriend. He may not have much experience as a boyfriend, but so far she gave him top marks.

"So, we could head down there tomorrow morning. I don't have any late classes." Colin said. Stephanie and Finn nodded. Rory sat up and looked at Logan.

"I have to go pick up my Dad. He gets out of hospital tomorrow. My mom has to work and then I have Friday night dinner with my grandparents."

"Can't you skip the dinner?" Stephanie asked hopeful that Rory would be able to join them. As much as she loved Colin, Logan and Finn dearly, she needed some oestrogen around and Rosemary and Juliet were starting to annoy her.

Rory shook her head and slumped back against the booth.

"We'll just go afterwards." Logan told her. Rory's eyes widened and she glanced at him.

"No. You go. You don't have to wait for me." Rory insisted. Logan shook his head and furrowed his brows.

"No way. I'm not going without you." Rory smiled warmly at that. "Besides, I have a thing tomorrow night too anyway. So…"

"What thing?" Rory queried as she studied him closely.

"My father has ordered me to attend a mandatory family dinner." he filled her in. Rory raised her eyebrows and then settled back into his arms.

"That sounds like _so_ much fun!" Stephanie exclaimed sarcastically while the others laughed.

"Tell me about it." Logan rolled his eyes. He turned to the side and kissed the top of Rory's head. He stroked his hand up and down her arm soothingly as she looked up at him. "I'll just pick you up at your grandparents place and we can go together."

Rory shrugged and then took another sip of her drink. "That's fine with me."

"Great! So that's settled." Colin smiled. He was glad that everyone had agreed to go away. With graduation looming, it was the last chance they would have to just unwind and have fun.

"Look out sheilas! The Finnman is coming!" Finn stood up and sauntered off to find himself a sheila for the night. Logan laughed and turned back to Rory as Colin and Stephanie started bickering.

"If you want, I could come with you tomorrow. Help you with your Dad." he suggested. Rory looked at him surprised by his offer.

"Really?" Logan shrugged.

"Yeah. You'll need someone to help get him in the car and into his apartment, right?" he said casually. He was completely unaware of the fact that his girlfriend wanted to kiss him all over for being so sweet.

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No problem."

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"You have no idea how happy I am to be wearing my own clothes again. No more flashing my butt to everyone in the hospital." Christopher said as Rory helped him sit up on the bed.

"Dad." she made a face as she was grossed out by the image. "I really don't want to think about you flashing your butt, thank you."

"Oh don't be such a prude, Rory." he teased her and she laughed.

"You know, I could just leave you here." Christopher's eyes widened in horror.

"You wouldn't?"

"Try me, buster."

"Here we are! One state of the art wheelchair." Logan wheeled himself into the room and quickly got out. "Top of the range."

"What's the mileage like?" Christopher asked. Logan smirked.

"Definitely room for improvement." he informed him.

Rory smiled, glad that they were getting along so well. She then grabbed hold of Christopher's arm as he stood up. "Dad, here let me."

"Rory, I can stand on my own, you know." he reminded her. He could stand unaided. Just not very well.

"You might fall over. You don't have your full strength back yet." Rory held him and then gestured for Logan to grab his other arm. Logan duly obliged and together they helped Christopher into the wheel chair.

"I feel sorry for you man. Is she always so bossy?" Christopher asked Logan with a teasing smile on his face. Rory placed her hands on her hips and glared at Logan. Logan looked at her and then back at Christopher. He couldn't even imagine having this kind of conversation with his own father. He found himself slightly envious of Rory.

"She's always a perfect little angel with me." he smiled sweetly at Rory and she shook her head.

"Good answer." she said.

"You are so whipped!" Christopher laughed and then turned to Rory. "Hey kiddo, do you think you could go find Dr Reynolds before we go? I have a few things I need to ask him."

Rory grabbed his blanket and covered his legs and then smiled at them both before leaving the room. Christopher sighed and then removed the blanket from his legs and put it back on the bed. He shook his head at Logan.

"It's roasting outside and she wants me to buckle up like I'm some old dinosaur." Logan chuckled and sat down on the chair beside the door as they waited for Rory to return.

Christopher watched Logan closely. He had been watching him closely ever since he showed up earlier with his daughter and was introduced as her new boyfriend. He had watched them interact. He couldn't help but recognise the familiar bantering between them. He noticed how Rory hadn't stopped smiling since she arrived. He saw the same happiness in Logan as he did in Rory. They were both crazy about each other and Christopher felt happy for them. He felt happy for his little girl that she had found someone who made her smile. He knew how rare that was.

"So, you go to Yale too?" he asked trying to make conversation with the younger guy. Logan looked up and smiled.

"Yeah. We're on the paper together." he said trying to make himself sound more reputable than he really was.

"Huh. So, you want to be a journalist too?"

"Um, no. My Dad wants me to take over the family business. So he figured that it would be a good idea if I knew something about it."

Christopher smiled and nodded his head. If Logan came from the same society background that he had, then he could completely understand where he was coming from.

"My father wanted me to be a lawyer just like him. He wasn't so happy when I ended up selling computers for a living." Christopher commented and Logan remained smiling.

"Mind you, he wasn't so happy when I told him I was going to be a father at sixteen either, so…"

Logan leaned forward. "What was it like?"

Christopher frowned unsure what he was asking.

"Going out on your own. Breaking away." Logan continued. Christopher inclined his head to the side as he noticed a sparkle in Logan's eye. A sparkle which he recognised in his own eyes from a long time ago.

"It was scary at first. My dad tried his hardest to make it impossible for me to do anything. And I'm sure you know that I wasn't around much for Rory, but I wouldn't change it. Its good. Living on your own terms. I just wish I could've gotten it together sooner for Rory and Lorelai." he said regretfully.

Logan stared off thoughtfully and Christopher tried to read him.

"You really care about her don't you?" he quizzed him. Logan snapped out of his daze and smiled brightly.

"Yeah. I do."

"Good. Because I would hate to have to kick your ass while wearing this stupid cast on my leg."

Logan laughed and the two men continued talking until Rory returned.


	12. Chapter 12: Happy Birthday!

****

A/N: First of all, I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed so far. You are all awesome. I feel kind of sad having finally written this chapter. It's such a pivotal point in this story and I've had it planned out in my mind forever it seems. So to finally have it typed out and available to read is such an accomplishment for me. I am relatively happy with how it turned out and I hope you enjoy reading it. It's a long one so be prepared. The storm's about to hit…

Oh, and it's M rated for a reason people. Just to warn you if you don't like that kind of thing.

I don't own the show.

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Twelve: Happy Birthday!

Logan's fingers tangled in her hair as Rory nibbled on his lower lip before sucking it into her mouth. He leaned across the console trying to get closer to his girlfriend. He deepened the kiss instantly by dipping his tongue into her mouth causing Rory to moan in pleasure. His hand was resting on her thigh and he fought the urge to pull her over on top of him and have his way with her right there in her grandparent's driveway.

This was only supposed to be a goodbye kiss. A simple little peck on the lips that would see them through for a couple of hours. It had turned into so much more and Logan didn't want to let her go. He was pretty sure it would be painful to tear himself away.

The sound of gentle tapping on the window of his car caught their attention. They broke apart and watched in horror as Lorelai stood crouched down staring at them with a knowing smile on her face. Rory pressed the button to roll the window down as Logan straightened himself out.

"Hi. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Lorelai smirked and Rory shifted uncomfortably as her cheeks turned red.

"No. We were just…um, I was just…"

"Hey Lorelai." Logan leaned forward and placed his hand on Rory's trying to relax her.

"Logan." Lorelai nodded and then Rory turned to him.

"I should probably…"

"Right." He nodded understanding what she was trying to say. "I'll pick you up out here at nine thirty."

"Okay." She leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss on his lips before smiling seductively at him once Lorelai had left them alone. "We can continue this later."

"I'll hold you to that." He called out as she opened the door and climbed out. She crouched down as she stood at the door and bit her lip and smiled back coyly.

"Promise?" Logan felt his blood boil over with anticipation. He couldn't wait to get her alone tonight. He wished he had some kind of device which would allow him to just fast forward through his dinner with his family so he could get to the good stuff.

"I think you can pretty much hold me to that." He smirked. Rory closed the door over and stood back as he started up the engine and drove away. He watched her in his rear view mirror and couldn't deny how happy he was. Who knew that this 'being a boyfriend' thing would take so well?

RLRLRLRLRL

Elias sat alone in his library staring out of the window absent-mindedly. He had been doing that a lot lately. He would come here to lose himself in Charles Dickens or Earnest Hemmingway's classic works, but on more than one occasion he would find himself distracted thinking about the woman he had loved and lost and who he missed with every fibre of his being.

He hated the silence now. Once upon a time when it had been companionable, he couldn't get enough, but now it just emphasised how truly alone he was.

"Hey Grandpa!" Elias' features quickly changed into a huge smile as he recognised the familiar voice. He turned to see his grandson standing at the door way leaning against the door frame in that nonchalant way he could always pull off. Elias' smile only widened in the presence of his grandson these days. Logan was the apple of his eye. His pride and joy and he couldn't deny how much he looked forward to his rare visits.

"Logan! It's good to see you son." He greeted him warmly pulling himself up out of his chair. Logan smiled back and peeled himself off the side of the door and met him in the middle of the room engulfing his grandfather in a manly hug.

"You too, Grandpa." They broke apart and Elias let his eyes take in the sight of him. He frowned.

"You look pasty." He joked. "No impromptu trips to Hawaii or Barbados?"

Logan smirked and shook his head. "Nope. I've been a little preoccupied of late."

"Really?" Elias noticed the bright smile on his grandson's face. He was simply beaming. He had never seen him look so happy. "What has your interest these days?"

"A girl." He said simply. Elias laughed.

"Well of course." He was well aware of Logan's reputation as a ladies man. He didn't approve, but he didn't judge him. He was young; he should enjoy life as much as he could.

"She's different, Grandpa. She's…special." He spoke dreamily. Elias turned to see him staring off into the distance.

"What's so special about this one?" He asked sceptically. Logan snapped out of his daydream and let his eyes roam over the room. The library was overflowing with books. He smiled to himself; Rory would love it in here.

"Well, for one thing, this room would be her idea of heaven."

"You mean she can actually read?" Elias said mocking his grandson's usual taste in women. Logan laughed.

"Yes. She can read. In fact, sometimes I think she would rather read a book than talk to me."

"Impressive," Elias nodded, "I like her already."

"She's so smart, Grandpa. She's smart and dedicated. She puts me to shame. She's beautiful. Not the obvious kind of beautiful. She's more classic, like a young Audrey Hepburn. She has these eyes that just…and her smile…" He grinned broadly as he thought about her smile. "She's funny and feisty as hell. She doesn't let me get away with anything." He laughed. "She reminds me of Grandma."

Elias watched Logan closely. He could see a spark in his eyes that he had never seen there before. Talking about his new mystery woman caused his whole face to light up. Elias recognised the look in his eyes as the very same look he had whenever he laid eyes on his dear late wife Louisa.

"I have to meet her." Elias insisted. He was very keen to meet the woman who had reinvigorated his Grandson, capturing his affections so completely.

"You will. I don't know about the rest of them." He said referring to his parents. "But you will." For some reason he wanted Rory to meet his Grandfather. He knew that they would get along like a house on fire.

"So does this mystery woman have a name?" Elias inquired. He wanted to know all about her. The thing that surprised him was that Logan wanted to tell him. Usually he wouldn't talk about girls in his life. Mainly because there were so many, but now he couldn't stop himself.

"Rory. Rory Gilmore." Elias' eyes lit up at the mention of the name.

"Richard and Emily's Granddaughter?"

"Yeah." Logan grinned.

"I've heard a lot about her." He admitted. Whenever he met Richard at the Club, he wouldn't stop going on about her. "She doesn't seem like your usual type."

"She's not. But I can't stop thinking about her."

"You know, Logan. Richard and Emily are very good friends of mine. I wouldn't like to see them upset." He warned him.

"Relax Grandpa. My intentions toward Rory are truly honourable." He reassured him sincerely. _Most of the time._

"Really?" He asked unable to hide the scepticism in his voice.

"It's not some casual fling. We're together. Exclusively." He revealed with a growing smile on his face as he noticed the surprise on Elias'.

"Exclusive you say?" Elias didn't know what to make of what he had just heard. Was it possible that Logan was finally ready to settle down and make a commitment?

"Yep. I am a one woman man." He said proudly.

"Really?" Elias couldn't hide his surprise at this latest revelation.

"Well, I'm twenty-two now, I'm graduating soon and I have never had a long term relationship. I've never met anyone that I wanted to be in a relationship with…until now." He admitted.

"Well, I'm happy for you son. Truly." He meant it. All he wanted in life was for Logan to realise his true potential and be happy.

"I thought you might. Listen," he turned serious, "my parents don't know yet and I would like them to stay out of the loop for as long as possible. You know what Mom's like." Elias nodded. He knew exactly what she was like. She was an interfering pain in the ass.

"Your secret is safe with me." He winked and Logan smiled.

"What secret?" Honor appeared at the door way with a broad smile on her face. Logan and Elias turned to see the blonde gazing at them suspiciously. Logan smirked.

"Nothing that you need to worry your pretty little head about." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He was happy to see his big sister. He hadn't seen her in ages.

"Logan has a girlfriend." Elias spoke causing Logan to turn back and frown at him.

"Grandpa!" Elias shrugged and offered him a faux innocent smile. Honor pushed Logan away and studied his face.

"A girlfriend?" She arched her eyebrows at him and placed her hands on her hips. Logan sighed and threw his grandfather a look. "Who is she? Why is she a secret? Is she some kind of hideous monster or something?"

"It's Rory." He admitted reluctantly. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Honor about his new relationship with Rory. He did. He usually told her everything that went on in his life, but he knew how much of a gossip Honor was and there was no way she would be able to keep something like this to herself for long.

He gazed down at Honor who was smiling brightly back at him. She clasped her hands as she peered up at him with a weird look in her eyes. Logan watched her curiously.

"What?"

"I'm just…you're just…" he noticed tears brimming in her eyes. "You're growing up." She got out before the tears overflowed and she flung her arms around him. Logan was genuinely confused now. He looked over at his Grandfather to see him smiling at them both. He could feel a wet patch growing on his shirt from Honor's tears and he was truly confused.

"You don't need to cry about it." He shoved her off him reverting to the ten year old who thought all girls had cooties. Honor wiped her tears away and smiled at him.

"I never thought I'd see the day. My little brother…" she held her hand over her heart. "…in love."

"Whoa, who said anything about love? I'm not in love." Logan shot her down immediately. He hadn't mentioned anything about being in love.

"Yes you are." Elias piped up from his chair. Logan snapped his head around to see his Grandfather staring at him with a knowing look on his face.

"What?" Logan was incredulous.

"You should have seen the dreamy look on your face when you were talking about her before. It was the same look I had whenever I saw your Grandmother."

"Aww." Logan frowned and glared back at Honor. She was still staring at him and he felt very uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

"Its so romantic. I knew Rory was more than just a 'friend' as you so vehemently insisted." She furrowed her brow as she remembered all the times Logan had protested about having any kinds of feelings for Rory.

She grinned evilly. "You love her. You want to kiss her. You want to marry her." She began singing in a teasing tone. Logan pushed her away.

"You are nuts." With that, he stomped out of the room. Honor and Elias looked at each other before they started laughing.

"You are a demon child." Elias shook his head at her but couldn't remove the smile from his face. It was very rare that anyone could make Logan as uncomfortable as Honor had just made him. Something only a loving sister could do.

"Oh, please. Do you know how long I have waited to tease him about a girl? After all those years of him teasing me about guys, this is payback." Honor said seriously. Elias crossed the room to his granddaughter and slid his arm around her as they left the library together and headed towards the living area where Logan was seated on the couch. He had a glass of Scotch in his hand and a frown on his face as Shira withered on about her latest Spa treatment.

Elias and Honor sat in the couch opposite the glowering blonde and Shira offered them something to drink. The jovial mood dissipated completely when Mitchum stormed in. He threw his briefcase down and glared at his family, paying particularly close attention to his son. Logan kept his eyes on his glass while all the time aware that his father was silently sending him death glares.

"Mitchum, you're home earlier than I thought. I'll just go tell the chef to hurry dinner up." Shira got up from her chair and kissed her husband on the cheek as she passed him and went into the kitchen. "Take your places at the table, please!"

Mitchum remained glaring at his son as the rest of the group made their way through to the dining table. Elias seated himself at the head of the table while Logan and Honor sat side by side, Logan making sure he had some kind of barrier between himself and his father. Mitchum sat opposite Elias, remaining eerily quiet.

"So, Dad how was your trip? Did it rain the whole time you were in Seattle? I hear it rains a lot there." Honor asked nervously. Logan could tell she was trying to lighten the mood. However, she picked the wrong topic as at the mention of Seattle, Mitchum sent a stern look in Logan's direction and he knew that any minute now he would explode.

"Why don't you ask Logan? I'm sure he could give you a detailed description of Seattle's weather. Seeing as he was there for all of FIVE MINUTES!" His voice bellowed making Logan shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"Five minutes too long." Logan muttered under his breath. Elias shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he peered down the table to see Mitchum seething at his youngest child.

"What was that, Logan?" Mitchum inclined his head to the side studying Logan closely.

"Nothing."

"Nothing." Mitchum repeated. "That's what all this is to you, isn't it? Nothing. You could care less. You just sneak away without even telling me that you're leaving. I found out from the receptionist that you had checked out of your hotel room."

"Well, I didn't want to interrupt you. You seemed a little preoccupied with that stripper…"

"Watch your mouth, young man!" Mitchum glared at him.

"Does mom know about what you get up to on these business trips of yours?"

"Logan." Honor interrupted. She knew how much he hated their father. He wasn't her favourite person either, but he was crossing a line.

"Grow up, Logan." Logan sniggered at that. "Is something funny?"

Logan remained silent. He raised his head up to look at his father. As he was about to speak, his mother re-entered the room followed by two maids who were carrying their food. Mitchum smiled at Shira as she sat beside him but soon returned his gaze back to Logan.

Logan could feel his father's eyes burrowing into him as he sipped on his soup.

"I hope you didn't bother unpacking. I booked you on a red eye to London tonight." Mitchum said in an even tone. Logan looked up and narrowed his eyes at his father.

"What?" Logan asked as he almost choked on a breadstick.

"You heard me. Seeing as you skipped out early on the last trip, you can make up for lost time in London this weekend. There are some people I want you to meet." Mitchum explained. Logan felt his anger brewing and clenched his fist as he tried to remain calm. He had already made plans for this weekend. He was spending the weekend with Rory and his friends. The people who actually gave a damn about him and wanted to at least acknowledge his birthday.

"Sorry Dad, but I already made plans."

"Well, un-make them." Mitchum shot back. Logan let out a heavy sigh and then looked at his grandfather. Elias remained quiet as father and son butted heads.

"Sorry Dad. But I can't. In fact, I won't." Elias glanced down at his bowl of soup ready for the impending explosion to come.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not going." Logan repeated for him.

"You're not going?" Mitchum asked as if he couldn't believe his son's reply.

Logan shook his head. "Nope."

Mitchum laughed at this and turned to Shira. "Did you hear that? He's not going."

Shira smiled and placed her hand over Mitchum's. "Of course he's going. He's just teasing. You know what he's like."

"Oh, I know exactly what he's like." Mitchum looked over at Logan. "He's a worthless, pain in my ass. You will do what I tell you to boy. I will drag you there if I have to."

"I'm not going, Dad." Logan was not willing to back down but he couldn't deny the sting he felt from his father's harsh words. "I already made plans. I'm going to celebrate my birthday. Remember? My birthday? The day I was born all those years ago. Although, I guess you actually remembering a birthday would be too much to ask seeing as you weren't even in the country that day!"

"Oh, here we go! Blaming me for the fact that you're a screw up. Maybe I wasn't around, but you should learn from my example. I would have hoped that some of my work ethic would have rubbed off on you, but instead you'd rather spend your time whoring around and getting wasted with those two moronic friends of yours." Mitchum hit back. Honor and Shira shrunk back in their seats.

"You are graduating in a month, Logan. It's time you grew up and stopped thinking that the world owes you something. Birthdays are insignificant in the real world. Hard work and dedication; that's what garners respect."

"Oh please. People don't respect you. They fear you. There is a big difference." Logan responded angrily. Mitchum's eyes blazed.

"I don't have to justify myself to you. I do what I have to do to ensure the survival of this company."

Logan smirked and nodded his head. "That's my point exactly. You're willing to do whatever it takes for your company. What about this family, Dad? Where do we fit in?"

Mitchum said nothing. He stared at Logan thoughtfully for a few seconds before a scowl crept over his face. He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out what looked like a plane ticket. He threw it over to Logan and kept his eyes fixed on him.

"Ten o'clock. Be ready." He said. His voice laced with finality. Logan looked at the ticket and then back at his father. His frustration got the better of him. He could talk until the cows came home, but he still wouldn't hear him. Letting out a light laugh, he picked up the plane ticket and then proceeded to tear it in half.

He didn't look back at Mitchum. He didn't need to. He knew what his reaction would be. Instead, Logan pushed out his chair and smiled calmly at his mother. He placed his hand on Honor's shoulder and then nodded his head at his grandfather. There was an eerie silence in the room as everyone waited for Mitchum's response to Logan's act of defiance.

"Excuse me. But I have somewhere to be." Logan said. All he wanted to do now was go pick up Rory and get as far away from his father as possible.

"Sit down!" Mitchum roared. Elias let his gaze move from son to grandson and felt it was time for him to step in.

"Let him go, Mitchum." He pleaded with his angry son.

"Let him go? You mean like you did with me? I'm only trying to do what's best for him." Logan guffawed which did not go unnoticed by his father.

"Then let him go. You yelling at him isn't going to make him see your side of things. If he's anything like you, he will only dig his heels in. Let him go." He reasoned. Logan felt relieved that his grandfather was on his side.

"Stay out of it." Mitchum told him harshly.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Logan glared at his father. Mitchum laughed.

"Logan just go." Elias stood up and gestured for his grandson to leave. Logan remained on the spot not moving. "Logan…"

Logan let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to stay and tell his father what he really thought of him, but he didn't have the strength to keep fighting with him. He was tired of having the same argument.

Honor gazed up at Logan and then shook her head. She would have to physically remove Logan from the room. She was tired of the arguing too and the protective older sister in her wanted to get her baby brother as far away from Mitchum as she could. She knew that her grandfather could hold his own with the great Mitchum. He did create him after all.

"Come on, Logan. Let's get out of here." She tugged on his arm and then pulled him towards the foyer leaving the rest of their family to indulge in the never ending argument surrounding Logan's future. She had never felt more relieved to be a woman. She had never felt more grateful to have a brother who would take that pressure away from her. However, as she looked back at Logan, she couldn't help but feel sad for him. She could see the strain of being the family heir weighing heavy on his shoulders. She wished she could take it away from him. If she could, she would do it in a heartbeat. Instead, she would do the next best thing, she would send him on his way to the girl he had fallen in love with. Even if he was too stubborn to admit it.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"I must say, Emily. This Salmon is delicious." Richard enthused as he tucked into his meal. Emily gave him a smile and returned her attention to her own food.

"Here, Here, Grandma. I don't usually like seafood but this is…"

"I think it's a little dry." Lorelai interrupted. Emily's smile morphed into a glare as she rolled her eyes at her daughter. Lorelai quickly lowered her gaze back to the Salmon in question and took a bite. "Actually, on second thoughts, it's great Mom."

Emily forced a smile at her daughter. Lorelai looked over at Rory who was shaking her head.

"Rory, your grandmother told me you have a new beau." Richard smiled broadly as he quickly changed the subject. Rory glanced over at Emily and then smiled back at her grandfather. She was curious as to how much she had filled him in on her new beau.

"Um, yes Grandpa." Rory replied hesitantly. Emily beamed at her as she wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

"Logan Huntzberger is a fine choice. He comes from a very respectable family. I approve." Richard gave her his blessing. Hearing the news that Rory was dating a Huntzberger was like music to his ears.

Rory smiled cautiously at him waiting for the 'but'. It never came. She felt relieved that her grandmother had kept a certain incident to herself.

"Great. I'm glad." Rory took a sip of wine as Lorelai smirked at her.

"You'll have to invite him to dinner sometime so we can meet him." Richard added. Rory's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You've already met him Grandpa. Many times. In fact, he was here the other week."

"Yes. But not as your boyfriend. We have to re-meet him officially. Make sure his intentions are honourable." Lorelai let out a snort as Richard finished. Rory sent her mother a warning glare. Emily echoed her granddaughter's sentiments. She definitely did not want Richard to find out about the sight she had been greeted by the other day when Logan had answered Rory's door in only his underwear. She wasn't sure Richard would be so approving if he knew about that.

"Oh Richard. Of course his intentions are honourable. You said it yourself; he comes from a very respectable family. And I had lunch with them both yesterday. I saw first hand exactly how much he cares about her. He told me himself." Emily interrupted. Rory smiled as Emily spoke. She couldn't deny the smile from growing on her face as she listened to Emily talk about Logan.

"I still think you should invite him to dinner." Richard wasn't for giving up. Rory nodded.

"I'll ask him." She said quietly. The conversation soon veered in Lorelai's direction as Emily inquired about the Inn. Rory was happy to let her mother take centre stage. She was content to just drift into the background while her grandparents grilled Lorelai on her relationship with Luke.

However, the sound of a cell phone ringing coming from her purse captured their attentions and Rory quickly retrieved the offending item and excused herself from the table apologetically.

"Sorry." She said sincerely and made her way through to the other room. She glanced down at the caller ID to see it was Logan's number. Smiling, she flipped open her cell phone and answered. "Hey."

"Hey." Logan's voice sounded tired and drained. Rory immediately frowned. Her concern for him was instant.

"Is everything okay?" Logan sighed into the receiver and Rory felt her heart sink for him. "Dinner didn't go so well?"

"Nope."

"Where are you now?" She sat on the couch and wished that she could give him a hug. She just wanted to make him feel better.

"Outside." Rory's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're here?"

"Yeah. Do you think you could get away early? I really need to just get as far away from this place as possible." Rory let out a sigh. They were still in the middle of dinner. She wasn't sure how happy her grandparents would be if she just took off.

"I don't know, Logan…"

"I need you, Rory."

Rory was stunned for a second. She definitely wasn't expecting to hear him say that. He needed her. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Okay. I'll be right out." Logan hung up and Rory flipped her cell phone closed as she sat alone on the couch contemplating their conversation.

__

He needs me.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made her way back to find her family sitting in silence. She took in the looks on their faces and realised that she had just missed an argument. Shaking her head, she didn't want to get dragged into it. She sat back down and put her cell phone back into her purse.

"Sorry about that." Her words hung in the air as the atmosphere between her grandparents and her mother grew. She really didn't want to bring up the topic of her leaving early. She knew that her grandparents wouldn't be happy about it and neither would her mother, but Logan needed her.

"Um, I was wondering if it would be okay if I left a little early tonight. Would that be alright?"

"How early are you talking kiddo?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her daughter feeling betrayed that she would consider leaving her on her own with her parents.

"Well, now." Rory said nervously. Richard and Emily both looked at her with concern on their faces.

"Is everything alright?" Richard asked sincerely.

"Um, yes. Everything's fine. It's just…a bunch of us were going to head to Martha's Vineyard this weekend to celebrate Logan's birthday and that was Logan on the phone. His dinner finished early and…"

"Of course you can go, Rory. That sounds like a lot of fun. The Vineyard is beautiful at this time of year." Emily beamed at her. Rory smiled and then looked to her grandfather for his blessing. Richard nodded his head and Rory pushed out her chair. She glanced at her mother, who was still glaring at her.

"I'll call you later." She said sweetly. Lorelai shrugged and continued eating her dry salmon. Rory sighed and then waited as Emily ordered the maid to bring her coat through.

"Have a wonderful time, Rory."

"Make sure you wrap up. It can get rather chilly on the Vineyard." Richard warned her. His concern for her made Rory smile. She hugged them both and then slipped on her coat before bidding them goodnight.

"Drive safe." Emily called out after her.

Rory closed the door behind her. She buttoned up her coat and as she looked up she saw Logan's car parked just up ahead. By the time she reached the car, Logan had already started up the engine. She opened the door and climbed in.

"Hey." She smiled as she settled in. Logan didn't speak. He hadn't even looked at her until she spoke. Rory's smile faded as she took in the sight of him. He looked so troubled and browbeaten. "What happened?"

"I really don't want to talk about it. I just want to get out of here." Logan's voice came out sounding cold and cut off. Rory felt a little bit hurt by his icy demeanour.

"Okay." She said in a small voice. Logan glanced at her recognising the pain in her tone. He let out a sigh as she fastened her seatbelt. The last thing he wanted to do was take out his bad mood on Rory.

"I'm sorry." He rubbed his temple and let his head fall back against the head rest. Rory leaned forward and cupped his cheek in her hand. Logan opened his eyes and turned his head to the side so he was looking straight at her. He gave her a sad smile as she closed the gap between them and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Let's get out of here." She whispered as she broke away. Logan grabbed her hand in his and kissed her knuckles.

"Thank you."

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Stephanie was homicidal or suicidal. Basically she was willing to do just about anything if it would end her torment. Finn and Colin were driving her insane and she was in desperate need of some female company. After spending most of the day with the two nitwits listening to them bicker over everything and anything, she was dangerously close to bumping them off and dumping their bodies in the ocean. When she recognised Logan's Porsche pull up, she let out a scream of relief and excitement and ran towards the car with her hands in the air.

"Thank God! Thank God! Rory! You're here!" She had never been happier to see anyone in her life. Rory got out of the car only to be attacked by a very frazzled looking blonde girl. She smiled as Stephanie hugged her. However, when she felt unable to breathe, she pulled out of her embrace.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to come. I thought you were going to leave me here with these morons." Stephanie rambled on as Logan got their bags from the car. He rolled his eyes at Rory who smiled brightly at him.

"Hey, I resent that." Colin said as he and Finn approached. Colin was wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt while Finn was wearing nothing but an apron. Rory burst out laughing as she saw the sight.

"Um, Finn where are the rest of your clothes?" She asked while fighting back the laughter.

"I lost a bet." Finn said simply. He then turned back in the direction he had come allowing everyone to get a look at his derriere.

"Oh God!" Rory shrieked with a mixture of laughter and revulsion as she flung her hand up to cover her poor, innocent eyes.

"Finn put some pants on. I really don't want to have to look at that." Logan called after him as he and Colin took the bags inside, leaving Rory and Stephanie to follow after them.

Stephanie smiled at Rory and then excitedly hooked her arm with hers. "So, did you get it?"

Rory let her eyes fall over Stephanie's beaming face. It took her a second to figure out what she was talking about, until it dawned on her. She glanced up in Logan's direction to make sure he couldn't hear them and then turned back to Stephanie.

"I got it. I have never felt more embarrassed in my life, but I got it." She informed her. She could feel her cheeks go red just thinking about it.

Stephanie laughed. "Don't worry. I guarantee Logan will love it."

"I hope so."

RLRLRLRLRLRL

"Sausage?" Finn appeared in front of Rory holding a sausage on the end of a fork. Rory shifted on her seat as she took in the ridiculous Aussie in his 'kiss the chef' apron.

"No thanks." She said politely. Finn shrugged and scoffed the sausage happily before moving back towards the barbeque. For some reason, the guys thought it would be a good idea to have a barbeque even though it was freezing outside and pitch black. They sat on the patio looking out onto the beach. Stephanie was sitting on the chair beside Rory. They both shared a rather large cosy blanket which kept them snug. Meanwhile, Colin and Finn walked around as if they were on a tropical island. Logan was nowhere to be seen. He had gone to the bathroom about half an hour ago and still hadn't returned. Rory was getting worried about him.

"Finn, aren't you cold in that apron?" Stephanie wondered. Finn stood over the barbeque and took a swig of beer.

"I little bit. My nipples are erect." Finn pouted as he threw another couple of burgers on the grill.

"As long as that is the only thing that is erect." Colin said in a serious tone. He was lying sprawled out on the decking holding onto a bottle of Champagne.

"Well, I am freezing my butt off. I am about two seconds from throwing myself on that damn barbeque." Stephanie flung off the blankets and stood up. "You coming inside, Rory?"

Rory's attention was drawn to the sight of her boyfriend sitting by himself on the beach in the not too far off distance. She frowned as she looked back at Stephanie.

"Hmm?"

"Inside? Heat. Nice warm, comfortable chairs with a blazing fireplace and a TV." Stephanie smiled as she imagined the change of venue.

"Um, I'm going go to see if Logan's okay." She said as she grabbed her shoes and made her way down the beach to where the troubled birthday boy was sitting. As she approached him she noticed him staring off into the distance. She felt her body shiver as the cold air hit her and she seriously wished she had brought the blanket with her.

"Logan?" She called out as she got closer to him. He didn't respond. He just kept his eyes on the waves of the ocean. She took the last few remaining steps to him and sat down beside him on the sand. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine." His voice came out rough and slightly unsteady. Rory felt her concern for him grow. She had never seen him so despondent. She wished there was something she could do to make him feel better.

"You don't want to join the party? Finn has perfected the art of grossly overcooking processed meat." She informed him trying to make him laugh. He didn't respond. Instead he turned to face her before returning his gaze to the water.

"Logan, talk to me. Maybe I can help." She pleaded with him. She wanted to do something for him, but she was at a loss. Logan let out a heavy sigh and then turned back to face her. He kept his sad, brown eyes focused on hers before lingering on her lips. He then closed the gap between them and captured her lips in a tender kiss. When he broke away, Rory reached for him and pulled him back, crashing her lips on his. Maybe this was how she could help him.

She clung to him as their lips meshed. Logan deepened the kiss immediately and then pushed her down on to the sand. He moved so half of his body covered hers but not completely. The kiss grew in intensity as his hands roamed over her, cupping her breast over her shirt. Rory let out a moan of appreciation before she felt his fingers sliding under her shirt. She arched her body into his, desperate to feel him pressed against her.

"Logan." She bit her lip as he moved his attention to her neck. He sucked and laved till his hearts content. Rory felt her breath become shaky under his ministrations. She ran her hands through his golden locks and pulled him back up so she could kiss him with all her might. Suddenly she became very much aware of their open aired environment when she felt Logan slide his hand under her jeans, cupping her. She forgot momentarily and let out a moan of approval before the reality hit her and she shifted from under him, pushing Logan away.

"We cant do this here." She panted as she tried to sit up. Logan continued sucking on her pulse point making her spine tingle. "Logan."

At the sound of her weak protest, Logan pulled back and scanned her slightly dishevelled and thoroughly sexy appearance. He wanted to forget about everything that had happened tonight and just lose himself in her.

"Rory, this is a private beach. It's completely deserted. No one's going to see us." He smiled as he assured her and then moved in for another mind blowing kiss. Rory relented briefly as her lips melted with his.

"What if Finn decides to go for a late night skinny dip?" She placed her hand on his chest and gently shoved him away.

"He probably would be too drunk to even notice us." Logan whispered and then captured her lips in a heated kiss. Rory used all of her strength to push him off.

"Logan, as much as I would love to recreate the classic 'From Here To Eternity' moment with you, I really don't think it would be as romantic as in the movie. And I really don't want sand to be going places it should not be going." She said vehemently. She was pretty sure the fantasy and the reality would be very different and she didn't want to be cleaning sand out of her ears and…other places for days after.

Logan sighed and dropped his chin onto his chest in resignation. "Fine."

"There is a perfectly good bed inside. Its nice and warm and there is lots of privacy." She offered hoping that he wouldn't turn her down. She had planned their night out perfectly and his depressed mood wasn't helping things.

"Sounds good." He looked up and kissed her sweetly on the lips giving her a playful smirk. Rory smiled back before shifting from her place on the sand. She stood up and reached her hand down for him to take. He gazed up at her and then back down at himself. He ran a hand through his hair and then smirked again.

"You go ahead. I just need a minute." Rory narrowed her eyes before she realised what he was referring to. She blushed a bright red. She then felt a smile creep over her face as she liked the fact that she had such an effect on him. She laughed and then bent down to place a soft, but passionate kiss on his lips.

"Don't be too long. I have a surprise for you." She warned him with a seductive look in her eye. Logan inclined his head to the side as he scanned her face. She smiled at him and then turned away, knowing that he was watching her. She knew that she had his undivided attention. However, she didn't know if she could actually find the nerve to go through with her plan.

RLRLRLRLRL

Logan strode through the corridor towards the bedroom he and Rory were sharing. She definitely had him intrigued and he was grateful to her for at least attempting to take his mind off his latest encounter with Mitchum. He still couldn't believe the nerve of the guy. He was sick of him constantly on his back, telling him what to do or think or say. He just wished that he would leave him alone and let him get on with his life.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be part of the family business. He did. He actually thought he might be quite good at it just like his grandfather believed. However, he just wished that Mitchum could recognise that fact instead of putting so much pressure on him. His father's constant disregard for anything Logan wanted for himself led him to take the only route he knew against him; defiance. He would go against him just to rile him up and get a reaction. As much as he wanted the simple life, there was just something in him that forced him to rebel as much as possible ruining any chances of them forming any kind of father/son bond. Between Mitchum's pushing and Logan's eagerness to keep his freedom, it didn't occur to him that they were just too similar. They were both as stubborn as the other.

Logan reached the bedroom door and resolved to push any and all Mitchum related thoughts as far out of his mind as he could. He would dedicate the rest of the night to his girlfriend.

He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. The room was bathed in darkness, the only light coming from the flickering candles which had been strategically placed all over the room. He took in the sight as he closed the door behind him.

"Happy Birthday, Logan." The sound of Rory's voice caught his attention and he gazed over in her direction only to be pleasantly surprised by the sight which greeted him. He gaped at her in awe. His eyes were completely transfixed on the stunningly sexy vision before him. She was standing at the doorway to the en suite bathroom wearing a silk robe and very lacy black underwear and nothing else. Logan felt his stomach dip as his breath caught in the back of his throat. His eyes travelled over her body, taking in her long luscious legs and soft supple breasts which were barely covered by rather flimsy material. He felt a rush of blood leave his brain and head straight to his groin as the urge to grab her and do naughty things to her became almost impossible to ignore.

"Wow!" was all he could say. He was completely speechless. He had no words. She had taken his breath away and all those other clichés. Rory smiled nervously. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she tried to keep a hold of her confidence. It had taken a lot of nerve for her to do this for Logan. To wear something so revealing and provocative. It had taken a lot of nerve and about a half a bottle of Champagne. But she wanted to surprise him for his birthday and when Stephanie suggested the sexy lingerie idea it didn't sound so terrifying until she was standing outside the store trying to find the courage to go inside and buy something. She had never felt more embarrassed in her life, but she kept thinking about the look on Logan's face when he saw her. It was the same look he was giving her right now and she couldn't deny how sexy and empowered she felt having his eyes so focused on her.

"You like?" She asked coyly. She had a small smile on her face as she bathed in his complete and undivided attention. Feeling a surge in her own confidence, she decided to lose the silk robe and let it drop from her shoulders. She kept her eyes on his at all times.

"I like." He nodded trying to avoid drooling. He took a step towards her and Rory met him half way. He desperately wanted to pull her flush against him and devour her with his kisses, but at the same time he wanted to take his time with her. He wanted to make this night last as long as possible as long as he was with her.

He hesitantly placed his hands on her hips as he gazed down into her big blue eyes. She smiled seductively at him and closed the gap between them. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered breathily into his ear.

"Would you like to unwrap your present now?" She closed her eyes as she said it, she was desperately trying to fight the embarrassment she felt.

Logan grinned broadly as he breathed in her scent. The feel of her breath on his neck sent a tingle down his spine. He couldn't believe what was happening. Here was his Ace, little Rory Gilmore asking him to undress her. He smirked. She wasn't so innocent anymore.

"It would be my pleasure." He spoke in a low, sultry voice. He slid his hands down over the swell of her butt and pulled her against him. Rory's eyes widened as she felt how eager he was. She bit her lip nervously and then gave in as his lips descended on hers. The kiss was full of passion and fervour as they both let their need for one another take control. Rory placed her hands on his chest, running them over his covered chest. When they broke apart for air, she tugged on the end of his shirt.

"I think we need to get rid of this." She said referring to his shirt. Logan nodded and raised his arms up as she wasted no time in pulling the offending item up over his head. She quickly discarded it and set her sights on his lovely, tanned, defined chest. His muscular arms wrapped around her waist pulling her in for another kiss. Rory let her fingers stroke over his chiselled features making their way to his belt buckle which she desperately wanted rid of. "Pants off, please."

Logan grinned and quickly went about unbuckling his belt and slid it through the loops on his pants. Rory then quickly unbuttoned him and unfastened the zip leaving him to do the rest.

"My turn." He said simply before tucking his fingers under the straps of her bra. He lowered them over her shoulders and placed soft kisses over her skin. Rory closed her eyes as his fingers battled with the clasp. He eventually won the battle and removed the flimsy material from her body. Rory's eyes flew open when she felt his warm, moist mouth on her immediately. She arched her back into him encouragingly as he sucked a nipple into his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair messing it up even more than it already was. They began moving backwards towards the bed. When the back of Logan's legs made contact with the bed he pulled away and sat down, keeping his hands on her hips. He gazed up at her exposed, curvaceous body and planted a light kiss on her abdomen. He kept his eyes locked on hers as she stared down at him in with lust in her eyes. He traced a path of kisses over her lower abdomen and then tucked his fingers into the sides of her lacy boy shorts, gently tugging them down over her hips while still keeping his eyes on hers. Rory lifted her legs up as he helped her out of the last offending piece of clothing.

She stood before him, completely naked and felt slightly awkward as his eyes travelled over her body. She didn't know why she was so uncomfortable. It wasn't like this was the first time he had seen her naked. They had had sex before on many occasions and that required a certain amount of nakedness on both parts. So, why did she feel so unsure of herself now? Why did the feel of his hands stroking her thighs send goose bumps all over her body? Maybe it was just him. He just had this kind of effect on her. No matter how many times they would be together, she would always get the butterflies. She would always feel overwhelmed by his presence. She would always wonder why he picked her.

"You are so beautiful." The sound of his voice brought her out of her thoughts and she moved towards him, pushing him onto his back and climbed on top of him. Logan ran his hands over her curves and basked in the feel of her soft skin on his. He kissed her shoulders and ran his hands through her hair before indulging in one of the most mind blowing kisses he had ever experienced. Rory broke away and reached over to the bedside table. She opened the drawer and pulled out a condom. She sat straddling him with a slight smile playing on her lips as she gazed down at him.

"This is so much better than a sandy beach, right?" She teased as she placed kisses over his taught stomach and chest. Logan smiled up at her and moved his hands to her hips.

"Much better." Rory then shifted her position and tore open the condom wrapper before sliding it over him. Logan closed his eyes as he felt her sink onto him. His whole body relaxed as she began moving her hips setting a steady rhythm. Logan basked in the feel of her surrounding him before meeting her hips thrust for thrust. He opened his eyes watching her rise and fall above him. He was mesmerised by her. He ran his hand up over her stomach and grasped hold of her breasts, kneading them with his fingers as he continued thrusting up into her.

"God, Rory!" Logan groaned as desire filled him. He pushed her back slightly and she let out a loud moan as the friction from the new angle pushed her further towards the edge. Logan felt her contract around him and knew how close she was. He was desperately trying to hold back, but found the pleasure becoming too much. So, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her slightly rolling her over onto her back where he proceeded to drive into her in his frantic race to bring them both over the edge.

"Logan!" Rory screamed as she felt her climax getting closer. She clung to the pillow as she writhed underneath him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and after one last thrust, she felt her orgasm explode within her. She rode out wave after wave of sheer bliss as Logan followed after her and collapsed on top of her.

They lay together panting, desperately exhausted from their exertions.

"That was the best birthday present ever." Logan admitted with a snigger as he rolled off of her and lay flat out on his back. Rory stifled a giggle and then snuggled into his side.

"It was okay." She said teasingly. Logan took the bait and looked down at her in horror.

"Okay!? That was some of my best moves. That was not 'okay'. That was anything but 'okay'. That was mind blowing, exhilarating, amazing, astonishingly incredible…" He rolled on top of her and Rory couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay. Stop. I get it. It was the best sex ever. You happy?" Logan gazed down at her. He raised a hand up to wipe the hair from her face.

"I am. Thank you." He placed a slow, lingering kiss on her lips, parting her lips with his tongue. "Ready to go again?" He asked with a smirk on his face as he pulled back. Rory rolled her eyes and smiled.

"If we must." She said as if it was the most arduous task on the planet. Logan dived in indulging himself in his birthday present. He was determined to wash away all of the bad from the day and replace it with good memories. Like being with his girlfriend. Like being happy in her arms. Nothing could get him. He was safe with her. He knew she was the one person he could trust with his heart. For the first time that day, he was ready to admit the truth. He had fallen for her. There was no denying it anymore. He didn't want to.

RLRLRLRL

Logan woke up to the sound of a cell phone ringing. He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes allowing the daylight in. He reached over and grabbed the stupid thing and answered it quietly. He didn't want to wake Rory. He had tired her out last night. She needed to build up her strength so they could have a morning repeat.

He found himself smiling at the thought. "Hello?" His voice croaked as he readjusted to consciousness. "Hello?"

"Logan? It's Honor. I'm at the hospital."

At the mention of the word 'hospital', Logan sat up as fear crept through him. "Honor? What happened? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

There was a silent pause before she answered him. He could hear her voice straining and he knew she was crying. "Honor?"

"It's Grandpa. He had a heart attack. He's in the hospital."

Logan's heart sank at the news. He felt numb. He felt sick. He wanted to tell her there was some kind of mistake and that his grandfather was fine. But he couldn't speak. For the second time in the space of just a few hours he was completely speechless but for entirely different reasons.

"We're at St. Wilshire's."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just tell him to hold on." He hung up the phone and jumped out of bed searching for his clothes from the night before. He found his pants and shirt and pulled them on. He sat down on the bed as he tied his shoes and then looked over at Rory sleeping. She looked so peaceful. Part of him wanted to wake her and have her come with him. He needed her to tell him that everything would be alright. But the other part, the Huntzberger in him, told him to get a move on. He didn't have time for this.

He leaned over the bed and kissed her gently on the cheek careful not to wake her and then quietly made his way to the door. He made sure he had everything he needed before stealing one last glance at his Ace.

He closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer to God asking him to help his grandfather. He couldn't bear it if he lost him. It wasn't fair. He had finally found someone to love and who he had a pretty good feeling might love him back, only to possibly lose the one member of his family who actually believed in him.

__

Hold on, Grandpa!

****

A/N: So? What do you think? Will Elias survive? Will Logan get there in time? Will Finn find his clothes? (I couldn't resist putting naked Finn in there). Let me know what you think before you leave this page. I would really appreciate your thoughts. I'm not too sure whether I did the fight between Logan and Mitchum justice. I hate writing arguments for some reason. But it was an essential point in the story. Please review and thanks for taking the time to read it. J


	13. Chapter 13: Closed Off

When Its Meant To Be

Chapter Thirteen: Closed Off

"Honor!" Logan called out as he approached his sister. She was sitting alone in the waiting room of St Wilshire's Hospital waiting for news on their grandfather. As soon as she heard his voice, she looked up and Logan felt his heart break as he saw her watery eyes. He was at her side in an instant and wrapped his arms around her.

"How is he?" He whispered into her hair. He wasn't sure whether he really wanted to know the answer. Honor laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was glad to have her brother there. She needed him more than ever.

"H-he's in surgery. H-he had a heart attack." She moved out of his embrace to look at his face. Logan frowned and wiped the tears away as they escaped down her cheeks. "The maid found him in the library. God knows how long he was…"

A loud sob escaped as she couldn't finish her sentence. Logan reached for her and pulled her back into his embrace. "Ssh. It's going to be okay. Elias' a fighter. He's a Huntzberger! He's going to be fine."

His whispered assurances sounded rather dead in the air. He had no idea if he was speaking the truth. He had no idea whether he was ever going to see the man he held so much affection for alive again.

"But what if…" Honor let out another sob and Logan clutched her body tighter to his. He wasn't sure whether it was for her benefit or for his own.

After a few seconds, Honor finally calmed herself down slightly and then moved away from him. She clasped his hand in hers and guided him back to where she had been sitting.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Logan asked with bitterness in his voice. He expected to arrive to the sound of Mitchum's bellowing voice as he demanded more be done to help his father. But neither he or his mother where anywhere to be seen. Honor rested her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh.

"Mitchum is in London. I called him. He said that he would fly back as soon as his meetings were finished." Her voice mirrored that of her brothers.

"What?!" Logan's eyes widened and he turned to face her. "He's in London?"

Honor shrugged. "He flew out last night after the fight. When I called to tell him what happened he said that Grandpa wouldn't want him to shirk his responsibilities. Mom's at home tucked up in bed with a bottle of wine."

Logan shook his head. He couldn't believe his family. His Grandfather was in surgery having had a heart attack and his own son couldn't tear himself away to be at his bedside. Was Mitchum really so heartless? Did he care about anything other than himself and his business empire? Logan was disgusted. His jaw set and his hands clenched as his body filled with so much anger and hatred for the man. He wished it was Mitchum lying on that operating table. Elias didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to have a son who was so self-centred and bitter.

Logan made a silent promise in that moment, that he would never allow himself to become anything like Mitchum. He would never be so heartless. He would never stop caring about the ones he loved.

"Where's Josh?" He asked and wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders. Honor peered down the hallway.

"He went to get some coffee. Knowing him he probably went home to make it." She said with a half smile on her face. Logan squeezed her shoulder and Honor looked up at him, furrowing her brows.

"Where's Rory?" She asked curiously.

"She was still asleep when you called. I didn't want to wake her." He answered simply. He thought back to the image of her sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. He felt envious of her.

"She should be here with you. Did you leave her a note?" Logan shook his head and Honor sighed.

"I'll call her later."

"You should call her now. She's your girlfriend now, right? It's part of her duty to be there for you when you need her most."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that I have you." Logan's smile didn't reach his eyes. He couldn't muster a real smile. It didn't feel right. Not now. He would call Rory later. Right now, his priority was finding out how his Grandfather was. Rory would understand.

RLRLRLRL

A shiver ran through her body waking her from her peaceful slumber. She snuggled closer to where she thought the warmth would be but was met with nothing. Slowly she opened her tired eyes and let out a yawn. Her hand stroked over the bed. _His_ side of the bed, but _he_ was nowhere to be seen. Rory frowned as she sat up, her blue eyes searching the room for him.

__

Where is he?

She pulled the sheet tightly to her naked body and tucked her long hair behind her ears, staring into the darkness of the room. Her eyes drifted over the bright lights of the alarm clock to see that it was only seven thirty in the morning. She listened for any sounds coming from the bathroom thinking that maybe he was taking a shower. But there was no noise. The only sounds she could hear were the birds singing and Stan the Racoon hunting outside in the trashcans for his morning breakfast.

"Logan?" She called out in a strained morning voice. There was no reply. Sliding to the edge of the bed she found that the floor was spotless. All of the clothes she had stripped him of the night before were gone. Instantly she was up off the bed and moved quickly to the closet to see if the rest of his things were still there. She flung open the doors and breathed a sigh of relief to find his shirts still hanging up. Maybe he had just woken up early and gone for a walk along the beach, but why didn't he leave her a note? Maybe he was making her breakfast in bed. The thought made her smile and she decided that she would go and investigate. Taking one of his shirts from its hanger she pulled it on and buttoned it up. She couldn't resist the urge to breath in his scent as she made her way to the mirror to take in her appearance. Her hair was messy as it usually was first thing in the morning. Her face was pale and her eyes looked tired. She could really do with a few more hours sleep. They had had a pretty late night last night. She remembered fondly.

Slipping out of the room, she made her way through the corridor towards the kitchen. She could hear muffled voices emanating towards her along with the smell of bacon. She felt her mouth watering at the smell. The closer she got the louder the voices became. She recognised the first slightly higher pitched voice to be Stephanie's. She reached the doorway and paused for a second trying to decide whether she should go back and get changed into something a little more appropriate for being around people.

"Nice legs, Gilmore!" Finn said admiringly as he noticed her standing. Rory sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Morning sleepyhead! Have fun last night?" Stephanie smiled knowingly at her as she turned to see who Finn was talking to. Rory felt herself blush and then moved into the kitchen to join her friends. Expecting to see Logan sitting at the counter, she was surprised when he wasn't there and instead it was just Stephanie and Finn, who was scowling into his coffee mug.

"Um, yeah." She answered uneasily.

"Hungry?" Stephanie asked as she stood over the stove grateful to finally have some more company. Finn groaned as he lay his head on the counter. Rory furrowed her brows and looked at Stephanie. The blonde just smiled uneasily and then turned her attention to what she was doing. "There's coffee in the pot."

Rory made her way over to the counter and poured herself some coffee. She sipped on it as she padded over to sit on a stool next to Finn. Stephanie joined them at the counter and piled Finn's plate with bacon, sausages and eggs. Finn looked at it before feeling the extreme urge to throw up take over and then quickly he slid off his chair and made his way to the nearest bathroom. Stephanie sighed relieved to no longer have to deal with Finn. She was just waiting for him to remember what had happened the night before between them.

"What was that all about?" Rory asked with a smile on her face.

Stephanie shrugged and sat on the stool vacated by Finn. "He had way too much to drink last night."

"Well, at least he remembered to wear pants this time." Rory offered.

"That's always a plus." Stephanie nodded before taking a sip from her glass of water. "Okay, so I have to tell you something."

"What?" Rory frowned at her change in tone.

"I hooked up with Finn last night." She admitted closing her eyes. Rory paused as she let the information process. She felt herself visibly relax as she had been expecting bad news about Logan.

"You hooked up with Finn?!"

"Ssh! Not so loud, Gilmore!" Stephanie looked toward the door.

"How? I mean…you and Finn?"

"I don't know. Obviously I lost my mind. I have serious, deep rooted emotional problems and I had way too much to drink."

"I can't believe you slept with Finn." Rory sipped on her coffee and shook her head. Stephanie's head snapped around to look at her aghast at her conclusions.

"I didn't sleep with him. We made out. That's all. Nothing else." She cleared up.

"Oh. But why would you…?"

"I was drunk! And he was walking around with his butt hanging out. He has a cute butt." She shrugged. "I just, I don't know what I was thinking."

Rory giggled as she pictured the scene.

"This is not a laughing matter, Rory." The laughing stopped suddenly as an image of Finn's naked rear-end entered her mind.

"I'm sorry. It is kind of funny though." Rory tried to hold back more laughter. Stephanie sighed.

"You can't tell anyone. You can't tell Logan and you definitely cannot tell Colin." She said in a firm voice. Rory noticed the look in her eye at the mention of Colin's name.

"Why can't I tell Colin?" She smiled teasingly. Stephanie stared back at her in silence.

"Because…he…he'll never let me live it down."

"Logan would tease you just as much as Colin would." Rory added making Stephanie more uncomfortable.

"Just promise me. You'll take it to the grave."

"I promise." Rory nodded and then finished her coffee. "I can't believe you made out with Finn!"

Stephanie glared at her as Rory collapsed in hysterics.

"I'm glad I could amuse you." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop." Rory fought the urge to laugh and turned her thoughts to her boyfriend.

"Hey Steph? Have you seen Logan this morning?" she asked curiously. Stephanie shrugged her shoulders.

"He's not still in bed? I figured you must have worn him out last night. I take it my idea worked." She smirked at her. Rory smiled and felt a blush creep over her features.

"Yes. It worked, but I woke up this morning and he was nowhere to be found." She explained. Stephanie frowned and began fixing her breakfast.

"Huh. I haven't seen him." She said. "He probably just went for a run or something."

"Yeah. Maybe." Rory sighed as she refilled her mug with more coffee. She looked up as a dark figure entered the room carrying a large bag. It was Colin. He was fully dressed and had a serious expression on his face.

"Hey Colin!" She greeted him, she stared at him in confusion.

"Hey." He looked up and met her gaze. "So, I'm gonna head back now, if you want a ride?"

Rory's brow furrowed even further. Where was he going? And why would he think she wanted to go with him?

He turned to look at Stephanie. Stephanie averted her eyes from his, unable to look at him for fear that he would know what had happened last night.

"Can you pack up the rest of Logan's stuff? I'll probably stay at the hospital." Rory's eyes flew wide open at the mention of the words 'Logan' and 'hospital'.

"Hospital?! Why are you going to the hospital? Where's Logan? Is he okay? Did something happen?" She peppered him frantically with questions as the panic set in. Colin narrowed his eyes at her and cocked his head to the side.

"You don't know?" He asked confused. She felt like killing him.

"Know what?"

"What's going on, Colin?" Stephanie was just as clueless as she was. Colin sighed and shook his head.

"Elias, his grandfather, had a heart attack. Logan got the call this morning. I ran into him on his way out, I fell asleep on the beech last night." He said sheepishly. "Anyway, he's at St. Wilshire's now. I thought he would have at least told you or called you."

Rory's heart sank as she processed the news. She sat on her stool in silence. She felt numb and then the overwhelming concern hit her and she jumped up off the stool and ran out of the kitchen to the bedroom. "Just give me a second!"

Colin stood frozen in the kitchen. He glanced at Stephanie, who was still avoiding making eye contact with him. He sighed and then rubbed his hand over his face.

"Can you handle Finn?" He asked her. Stephanie's eyes bulged in her head and her face went white.

"What?!" She looked horrified. Colin studied her expression.

"Can you make sure he gets back alright? You know, make sure he doesn't drown or something." Stephanie let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed. He didn't know.

"Sure. Sure." She nodded her head and then after a few minutes of silence, Rory came rushing back into the room. She was now fully dressed and holding a bag.

"Um, that's me. I'm ready." She told Colin as she tied back her hair. She looked at Stephanie. "Can you pack up the rest of my stuff?"

"Of course." Stephanie reassured her as they started making their way to the front door. "I'll take care of everything. Don't worry."

They reached the door and Colin took the bag from her as he packed the car. Rory stood at the door with Stephanie. She stared at the wall as she imagined how worried Logan must be. She pictured him sad and alone in the waiting room at the hospital and her heart ached for him. She just wanted to be there with him, holding his hand, giving him the support that he had given her when her father was in the hospital. She needed to be with him. She wasn't thinking about why he hadn't told her when he found out.

Stephanie watched Rory with a sad look on her face. She looked so worried. Acting on instinct, she reached out and wrapped her arms around the girl who had become her friend.

"Everything's going to be okay, Rory. Elias is as tough as they come." She said with a smile on her face. She had always liked Logan's grandfather. He was possibly one of the only members of the elder society who didn't have a brush stuck up his ass.

Rory snapped out of it as Colin finished loading the car. "You ready?" He called to her and made his way to the driver's side. Rory nodded and then removed herself from Stephanie's side.

"Give Logan a hug for me!" The blonde called after her. Rory got to the car and climbed in the passenger's side almost in a daze as she did so. Her body was acting on autopilot, but her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was with Logan.

Colin placed his hand on Rory's knee comfortingly before starting up the engine and pulling out of the drive. Rory glanced down at his hand and then turned her attention to the passing images outside the car. She would be with Logan soon enough.

RLRLRLRL

"How much longer are they going to be? He's been in surgery for hours." Logan said frustrated as he paced back and forth. Honor and Josh sat on the chairs in the hospital waiting room watching him. Honor let out a sigh and Josh squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"It'll take however long it takes. Come sit down, Logan. You're beginning to wear a hole in the floor." Logan looked at her with a frown on his face and continued pacing.

"I can't sit. I can't just sit around here doing nothing."

"Well, you're just going to have to. Some of the best surgeons in the country are operating on Grandpa. He's in good hands. So, sit down and relax. You're making me nervous." She snapped at him. She was beginning to lose patience with her little brother. Logan heaved a sigh in defeat. He was about to join his sister and Josh until he heard someone call out his name. He looked down the corridor and saw Colin and Rory coming towards him. Rory looked worried. Quite honestly, she looked a mess and as much as he felt relieved to have her here, part of him shut down. He didn't want her to see him so vulnerable. He didn't want to let her in.

As soon as they reached Logan, Rory rushed to him and embraced him in a bone crunching hug. He acknowledged Colin with a nod and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to relax into the hug. He wrapped his arms around his Ace and took comfort in her warm embrace. He buried his face in her neck and breathed in her scent. It was amazing how calm he felt in her presence. He felt as if nothing could touch him. He felt safe.

The calm feeling only lasted for a few more seconds before the never ending fear took over again. He pulled out of her embrace and she peered up at him with watery eyes. She cupped his cheek with her hand and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. Logan sighed.

"How is he?" She whispered throatily. Logan averted his eyes from hers and looked at the ground. He shrugged his shoulders in reply. "How are you?"

Logan met her eyes with his gaze and saw the overwhelming look of concern there. Maybe even love. He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and took a step away from her. "I'm fine."

"Why didn't you call me? You should've woken me up." She scolded him gently. She reached out to take his hand but he pulled it away and ran it through his hair in a move that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind." He said coldly. He moved away from her and sat down on the chair next to Honor, leaving Rory standing there alone. Honor watched the scene with a sad look on her face. She shook her head and glared at her brother as he put the barriers back up automatically, shielding himself. It was a defensive manoeuvre she recognised. He had perfected it over the years. During that time, it was only Honor who had been allowed in, some of the way at least. She had always hoped that he would find someone he could allow himself to get close to. She was hoping that person would be Rory, but it seemed she was wrong. He was determined to shut himself off from the people who mattered the most, when he needed them the most.

"Is there any news?" Colin asked trying to break the awkward tension amongst them. He glanced at Rory as she hugged herself and kept her gaze on Logan.

"No. None. They're still operating." Honor filled him in.

"Well, is there anything I can do? Do you need me to get anything?" Colin asked trying to be helpful. He didn't want to just stand around like an idiot.

"You should go home." Logan spoke up. "There's no point in you hanging around. I'll call you if there's any news."

"Are you sure? Because, I don't mind…"

"I'm sure." He nodded and then looked at Rory. "You should go too."

Rory stared at him with an incredulous look on her face. "What? But…I should be here…with you. I want to stay with you."

"There's no point." Logan shrugged. "Let Colin drive you home. I'm okay here."

"But-" She tried to protest.

"Honor's here. I don't need anybody else." Rory's face fell and her heart broke as Logan rejected her in front of everyone.

"Logan…" Her voice came out strained as she bit back the tears. She wanted to stay with him. She didn't understand why he didn't want that too.

"It's okay." He assured her calmly. His voice showed no incline of emotion or remorse. He surprised himself sometimes with how cold he could be. Maybe he was more like his father than he thought he was. He shuddered at the thought. "I'll call if there's any change."

Rory sighed and lowered her gaze to the floor. When she looked back up at him there was so much hurt in her eyes, he had to look away.

"Okay." She whispered and her voice broke. Colin took a step towards her and placed his hand on the small of her back, rubbing softly and then gestured for them to leave.

"Come on, Gilmore. I'll take you back to the dorm." He tried to make his voice sound cheery but he didn't really pull it off. Rory removed her gaze from Logan to Honor, who just smiled sadly at her. She let her eyes fall on Logan once more as he stood up. Taking a step towards him, she placed her hand on his arm and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

"If you need anything…" She whispered into his ear and then locked her blue eyes on his. Logan nodded but remained still.

She followed Colin slowly down the corridor waiting, hoping that Logan would change his mind and call her back…he didn't.

As Colin and Rory disappeared around the corner, Logan glanced back at Honor. She shook her head at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

RLRLRLRLRL

Colin shut off the engine as they sat in the parking lot back at Yale. Rory was staring ahead of her, in silence. She hadn't said a word the whole way back. Colin sighed.

"Rory don't take it personally. He'll call, he just…he's never been very good at needing people. I mean, you remember how hard it was for him just getting together with you. He's spent so much time over the years closing himself off, I guess it's hard for him to trust anyone." Colin tried to explain his best friend's actions. However, he was finding it hard justifying them. He knew Logan was hurting and that he didn't like anyone seeing the vulnerable side of himself, but this was Rory. She was the one who was supposed to change all of that.

That's why _he_ had walked away all those months ago.

"He and his Grandfather were…are close. He's just freaking out right now."

"That's why I should be there with him. Helping him get through this." Rory said in a tiny voice as a stray tear escaped. "But he doesn't need me."

Colin let out a heavy sigh. He hated seeing her so upset. But he didn't know what to do or say to make it better for her. He wasn't sure whether is was his place.

"He needs you, Rory." He said forcefully and placed his hand on her knee. He stared straight into her watery eyes. "He needs you now more than ever. He might not like to admit it, but its true. All you can do is be there for him whenever he asks."

Rory wiped her cheek with her hand and then met his gaze. She gave him a small smile and then unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"Thanks Colin." She climbed out of the car and grabbed her bag. She waved to Colin and then headed back to the sanctuary of her dorm. This was not how she thought she would be spending her Saturday.

RLRLRLRLRL

Logan sat on the chair leaning forward with his head in his hands running through everything that happened the night before. He couldn't rid himself of the nagging feeling that maybe he was to blame for what happened to his Grandfather. Maybe if he hadn't gotten into that fight with Mitchum, Elias wouldn't have gotten involved trying to defend him. He was pretty sure that he and Mitchum would have had it out after he and Honor left the house. Perhaps Mitchum went to far. Perhaps all of the stress had led to Elias collapsing.

It was all his fault. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth closed? He always had to bate his father. He always had to have the last word and now look where it led. His Grandfather, the man he admired and loved so much, was in hospital having heart surgery. He had never felt more ashamed of himself in his life. He had never hated his father more than he did right now.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Honor appeared in front of him holding two cups of coffee. She smiled down at him as he looked up and gave him one of the cups.

"You don't want to know. Trust me." He said gloomily as he accepted the coffee. Honor frowned and sat down beside him.

"This isn't your fault, you know." She informed him in a stern voice. He glanced at her amazed that she knew him so well.

"It's not?"

"No. And it's not Mitchum's. These things just happen sometimes. Grandpa is getting older. It's just the natural way of things. I mean, I don't want him to die, but if it's his time, I think he would be pretty happy with the life he's had."

"Could you not?" Logan furrowed his brow. He really wasn't comfortable talking about his grandfather as if he was already dead. "He's not gone yet!"

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, well don't." Logan got up from the chair and headed as far away from his morbid big sister as possible.

"Call Rory!" Honor shouted after him. She sighed and then sank into her chair waiting for the news she feared.

RLRLRLRLRL

Rory sat on her bed Indian style trying to focus on reading her book. She had cleaned her room already and was currently trying to distract herself by reading every book she owned. She was only on the second page of the first book. She just couldn't concentrate. Her mind was all over the place. She was worried about Logan. Three times she had put on her shoes and jacket and grabbed her car keys on her way out the door, as she resolved to go to the hospital whether he wanted her there or not. Three times she had come back and dumped her stuff on the couch.

The third time she ran into Paris on her way back from the parking lot. Paris had automatically assumed that they had broken up and when she told her what actually happened, Rory had been surprised by how genuinely sorry she was. Apparently, Paris held a great respect for Elias Huntzberger. She even told her to pass on her regards to Logan.

It was now 10.15p.m. And there was still no word from Logan. Surely Elias would have been out of surgery by now. Maybe he was and Logan was with him right now. Maybe he had just forgotten to phone her and let her know. Or maybe it was bad news.

She reached over to grab her cell phone from the nightstand by her bed and stared down at it waiting for it to ring. The last time she had done that, it actually had rung and scared her half to death. However, it wasn't the person she was hoping for then. It had been her mother phoning to check up on how her 'dirty weekend' was going. Once she had explained to Lorelai what had happened, she tried to reassure Rory that the fact that her boyfriend didn't want her anywhere hear him in his hour of need was not a big deal. She told her not to worry and that everything would work out. As soon as she hung up the phone, Rory was frantic.

She kept her eyes fixed on the cell phone, willing it to ring with the full force of her mind. It turned out that she didn't have any latent psychic powers after all. It didn't ring.

About an hour later, Rory found herself waking up to the sound of gentle tapping. It took her a minute for her mind to readjust to consciousness before realising that it was someone knocking at the front door. She glanced at the clock as she rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. She stumbled through her room and out into the common room where she made her way to the door. Letting out another yawn, she unlocked the door and opened it. Her eyes widened as she was greeted by the sight of her boyfriend.

His face was lowered to the ground and after a few seconds he met her gaze. In that instant, she felt her heart break. He looked so sad, so…desolate. His hair was strewn in every direction and he had dark shadows under his eyes. He looked pale and unshaven.

"Hi." He finally spoke. His voice coming out in a whisper. Rory furrowed her brow in concern as he stood before her looking so lost.

"Hi." She didn't know what else to say. Logan didn't seem to notice.

"So…my Grandfather died." His voice broke slightly and she could see the flicker of pain in his brown eyes. Rory's eyes filled up instantly and her whole body sank.

"Oh my god!"

"I…um, he died during surgery. His heart was too weak and ah…he passed away."

"I'm so sorry." She remained frozen on the spot. She wanted to reach forward and grab him and never let him go. But she couldn't move.

"I've been driving around for a while just trying to…" his voice lingered as he stared past her. "Can I come in?" His eyes found hers and her heart broke again.

"Sure." She reached for his arm and guided him inside closing the door behind them. Logan stood in the middle of the common room just staring off into the distance. He looked different. He looked so lost and vulnerable like a child who didn't know where they were supposed to be.

"Can I get you something? Do you want something to eat or drink? Water! I have water!" She said loudly.

"No. Thanks." Rory nodded and then the silence took over. All of the hurt and rejection from earlier had vanished from her body only to be replaced with compassion and concern. She wished there was something she could do to take away his pain. Apart from getting him drunk, she was out of ideas.

"Do you want to talk?" She offered. She took a step towards him but he didn't notice.

"Not really. I just…I just want to sleep. Can I stay here tonight?" He fixed her with his pleading eyes and she melted instantly.

"Of course you can." She took another step towards him and then clasped his hand in hers as she stared up at him. He looked so forlorn, she couldn't resist placing her hand on his cheek in a tender gesture. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand before placing a kiss in her palm.

"Come on." She smiled sadly at him and then led him through to the bedroom. He followed after her and began slowly removing his shirt and pants while she climbed into bed. He stared hesitantly at her as he contemplated getting into the bed. Rory smiled and pulled the covers back for him. She held out her hand and he took it.

As he settled under the covers, the only sounds that could be heard were the rustling of the sheets and the rain hitting off the window. It sounded so far away. Logan was cocooned in his own little world where nothing made sense. He just wanted it all to go away. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep and then tomorrow when he woke up, it would all be gone. Someone would tell him that it had all been a dream and that Elias was alive and well.

He lay on his side facing away from Rory. He felt the lump in his throat as the emptiness consumed him. He was never going to see his grandfather again. No amount of wishing and hoping was going to change that. He let out a heavy sigh as he buried his face into the pillow.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and her breath on his neck. He wanted to turn around and lose himself in her. He wanted her to numb the pain, but he was afraid to let her see him like this. He was usually so sure of himself and of everything around him. Now, nothing made sense. He was lost.

"Logan?" She whispered softly. After a few seconds, he turned around and faced her. He could see her blue eyes staring back at him in the darkness.

"I'm sorry." He said simply. Rory narrowed her eyes; she wasn't sure why he was apologising.

"What for?"

"For the hospital. I…" A stray tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. He couldn't help it. "I just didn't…"

"That's okay." She placed her hand over his and laced her fingers through.

"I'm sorry." He repeated. Rory sighed and leaned forward to replace her hand with her lips. She kissed his hand so softly and when she pulled away she met his gaze. They locked eyes for a few seconds and then she moved closer to place a gentle kiss on his lips. As she broke the kiss, she opened her eyes and was shocked as his face crumpled in agony and he let out a choked sob.

"Logan…" He flew into her arms as the tears began to flow freely. He couldn't hold back anymore. He didn't have the energy to fight his grief. Rory rest his head on her chest and stroked his hair as he clung to her. She murmured soothing words into his ear. He needed her now and she wasn't going to let him go.

RLRLRLRL

The next morning, Rory woke up in an empty bed. Logan was gone. She sighed heavily as she tried not to let it affect her. She stretched her tired limbs and then sat up in bed. She rubbed her hands over her face as she remembered the night before.

Cradling him in her arms as he poured his heart out, she had felt a new connection grow between them. Or so she thought. Logan had used her as his emotional pillow and let her see a part of him that no one else could even catch a glimpse of. She just wished he would let her in the whole way. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to help him through his grief. He just had to let her.

She lay back down on the bed and rolled over onto her side where something caught her eye. There was a piece of paper on the pillow where Logan's scent still emanated. She reached over and unfolded it. His message was simple; thank you.


	14. Chapter 14: Fix You

_**A/N: What's this? Another update? How shocked are you? LOL. Anyway, I just noticed that I hadn't updated this one since October, which was quite a while ago and I'm sure you're all wondering what will happen next. So, if you want to know, read on, but don't forget to review. I love hearing what you think. **_

_**I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of the characters. **_

When It's Meant To Be

Chapter Fourteen: Fix You

Rory was used to staring off into the distance, her mind entrenched in her latest article she had to write for the YDN, or the paper she had due for class, or even internally analysing the book she had just finished reading. However, she wasn't used to her thoughts being so overwhelmingly fixed on that of her grieving boyfriend.

It had been four days since that night he showed up at her door seeking solace in her arms and in her bed. In those four days since, he had become completely consumed with his grief. He had spent every night with her; sleeping restlessly beside her. Sometimes he didn't even sleep at all. He had not stepped foot out of her dorm, taking up permanent residence in front of her TV, much to Paris' chagrin.

It was like he had become one of those Pod people in the movie 'Invasion of the body snatchers'. He just sat on the couch, in his underwear, unshaven and dishevelled, just staring mindlessly at the TV. He barely spoke. When he did, it was only to her. He wouldn't talk to anyone else. Colin, Finn, Stephanie, Honor, Mitchum had all become used to hearing his voicemail.

Watching him so despondent broke Rory's heart. He just looked so lost, so sad and disconsolate. There was nothing she could do for him except just be there to hold his hand through this. He was depending on her to hold him together. He needed her. She had never been needed by anyone before. It felt nice, although, she felt horrible for thinking that. Her boyfriend was seriously depressed over the death of his beloved Grandfather and here she was feeling happy that he was so dependant on her. She was a horrible person.

"Hey Gilmore!" Rory turned to see Finn heading towards her. He had a bag flung over his shoulder and a serious look on his face. It was a look of concern. She knew it well these last few days; it was the same expression she wore constantly.

"Hey Finn," she greeted him pleasantly before paying for her coffee at the kiosk and shuffling her books into a comfortable position in her arms.

"So, I got that stuff you asked for." He said gesturing towards the bag on his shoulder. "There's some clean clothes and a razor. Plus I put some of his books and magazines in there. Just in case he gets bored staring at the TV. Also, I found his ipod and I think that's everything."

Rory smiled appreciatively at Finn and took the heavy bag from his grasp. "Thanks Finn. I owe you one."

Finn brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Anything for a friend."

They started walking through the quad in silence; Rory noticed the pensive look on his face. It was strange seeing Finn acting so un-Finn-like. He wasn't cracking jokes or eyeing up every female that walked passed. He actually looked sad, as if he felt his best friend's pain.

"How is he?" He asked in a hushed tone. Rory could barely hear him.

"Um," she had no idea how to reply to that question. What was she supposed to say? He's great? He's a mess?

To be completely honest, she didn't really know herself how he was. On the outside, it seemed he wasn't dealing with it very well at all. On very few occasions he had given her an inside glimpse at his pain. Those glimpses had become evermore fleeting over the last few days. He had become taciturn and non responsive. She thought that maybe he should speak to someone professional like a grief counsellor. However, she knew the chances of that happening were very small. If he wouldn't talk to his friends and loved ones, he wouldn't be interested in talking to a stranger.

"He's okay." She said unconvincingly. Finn peered at her with a knowing look in his eyes.

"He hasn't stepped foot outside of your dorm for four days, Rory."

Rory sighed deflated. "I know." She struggled with the bags and Finn took them from her aching shoulders. She had enough weight to carry around these last few days.

"Has he called Honor back yet?" Rory shook her head in response. It was Finn's turn to sigh. He stopped abruptly and turned to face her.

"How are _you_ doing?" Rory was surprised by his concern for her.

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about him. And Paris is going to explode if she doesn't get her TV back soon." She tried to make light of the situation. Although, she was certain that Paris was dangerously close to combusting.

Finn chuckled at that but then placed a hand on her shoulder and met her gaze. "If you need anything or if Logan needs anything…don't hesitate."

"Thanks Finn." She gave him a tired smile and let out a yawn. It wasn't just Logan who hadn't been sleeping much lately.

"Actually, it's _me_ who should be thanking _you_ for looking after him. He's lucky he has you." He said sincerely and leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek and hand the heavy bags back to her.

"Tell him that if he doesn't snap out of it soon I'm going to burn the apartment down without him."

"Didn't you already do that once?" She called to him as he walked away. Finn just waved his hand and made his way through the quad. Rory watched him go. She adjusted the straps of the bags she was carrying and shuffled her books in her arms. Then she headed in the direction of her dorm.

RLRLRLRL

Rory stood at her door hugging her pile of books to her chest as she fiddled with her keys. She eventually managed to manoeuvre her way inside and was surprised by what was waiting for her on the sofa.

"Hi," she stared wide-eyed and surprised at the sight before her, "you're wearing pants!"

Logan looked up from the TV and shrugged lazily. "Paris didn't appreciate me walking around in my boxers. It wasn't sanitary apparently."

Rory closed the door and placed her heavy load of books on to the table by the wall. She removed the bags and then took a few steps toward him, her eyes narrowed at the mention of her less than considerate friend and room mate. She worried that Paris' bluntness would upset him in his fragile state.

"Are you ok?" she asked unable to veil the concern she felt for him in her eyes or in the tone of her voice. Logan's gaze was fixed on the TV, as it had been these last few days. He had been staying at her dorm to avoid going back to his own apartment in an effort to cut all contact with his father. It seemed that the death of his grandfather had only served to fan the flames of hatred and resentment he felt towards him.

"I'm fine." He shrugged off her concern.

"Really?" Rory placed her hand on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. Logan pulled his gaze from the TV and met her eyes. He gave her a slight smile.

"I'm fine." He said more forcibly. Rory's firm gaze melted as she saw the familiar tint of sadness in his eyes.

"Logan…" Logan sighed and reached out a hand, gripping her waist with his hand, he pulled her down so she was straddling him as he sat on the couch.

"Ace, stop worrying so much. Like you said, I'm wearing pants. It's the first step to my recovery." He tried to make a joke but Rory could tell that losing his Grandfather was still haunting him. He was just trying to put on a brave face for her. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead against his and breathed in his scent. Her nose scrunched up. He may have been wearing pants, but he was still in desperate need of a shower.

"I think you should think about bathing as being the next step." She said in a teasing tone. Logan's brows furrowed.

"I don't smell that bad…" He sniffed himself and scrunched up his nose in response. "…okay, so maybe I could do with taking a bath."

Rory laughed and started to pull herself up off of him but he wrapped his hands tightly around her waist, holding her in place. He wasn't quite ready to let her go just yet. He let his chin rest on her shoulder as she hugged him close to her. He closed his eyes and breathed her in. She was the one thing in his messed up life that was keeping him somewhere in the region of sane. He hated letting someone see him so vulnerable and broken, but having her with him made the pain go away just a little. He didn't want to let her go.

"Hey," it was Rory who pulled away first. Logan just slumped back against the sofa as her blue eyes studied him closely, "have you had anything to eat today?"

Logan shook his head. "I'm not really that hungry."

"You have to eat something, Logan. You'll waste away. You need to keep your strength up."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes at her and she bent down to place a sweet kiss on his lips. She let her hand cup the side of his face gently and he leaned into her palm.

"I just want to make sure you're alright." She whispered against his lips and he closed his eyes as her gentle words filled his heart. He moved his hands back to rest on her thighs and leaned forward to capture her mouth in another kiss.

He surprised her with the amount of passion he put into it, his tongue dancing with hers. It had been a while since he had kissed her like that. There was a fire in him that had been missing these last few days. It was as if the old Logan was trying to break free of the pain and misery he was feeling through the simple act of kissing.

They hadn't had sex once since they had gotten back from the Vineyard. Rory hadn't really thought of it as being a big deal. She was more than content to just be with him. It seemed more intimate somehow. Not that she didn't miss his touch or the way he looked at her when he was in the mood. It was the same way he was looking at her now. She recognised the glint in his eyes as he broke away from her, panting for breath.

"Rory…" His lungs refilled with the necessary oxygen required and his hands began roaming over her thighs, up to her hips and then finding their way under her shirt to enjoy the soft skin of her back. A shiver ran through her body as he pulled her firmly against him, her core meeting the very pronounced bulge in his pants. "…I want you, Rory."

He captured her mouth in a searing kiss and she parted her lips for him. She had missed him, missed being so close to him.

His tongue pressed feverishly against hers and he leaned back on the sofa, shifting Rory into position just above him so she could grind her hips into his.

"Logan…" She felt him rocking her against his erection and she was surprised to feel him so hard against her. It was intense. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against his and closing her eyes as she let him use her body to release the mounting pressure he had been feeling.

He started bucking his hips against her while groaning in pleasure. Rory kissed him fiercely, letting her body lose control against him. Then suddenly, with no warning, he was pulling away from her and pushing her onto the sofa beside him. He stood up and peered down at her while running his hands through his hair.

"I can't breathe in here." Rory furrowed her brows in confusion but watched silently as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. He pulled it open and walked outside for the first time since Sunday.

Rory felt her heart sink and the awful feeling of rejection bubbling within her. She felt tears prick her eyes and a sense of loneliness wash over her.

_What did I do wrong?_

_  
_RLRLRLRLRLRL

By the time she went to her bed that night, Logan hadn't returned. He hadn't even so much as called her to let her know he was alright. She'd had to deal with more anxious phone calls from his sister desperate to talk to him. And then she had to deal with a cranky Paris Gellar, who wanted to have a discussion about personal space and the use of the TV by non-dorm residents, in other words, Logan.

After successfully dealing with such important matters, she had fallen into her empty bed and tossed and turned for most of the night. Her mind was on Logan. She was worried about him. She wondered where he was. Also, she was mad at him for making her feel so unwanted, and then she felt guilty for feeling that way when Logan was probably just confused.

Having eventually managed to drift off to sleep, she was awoken by the feel of someone kissing the back of her neck and shoulder blades. She let out a tired moan and rolled over to see Logan kneeling on the edge of the bed, hovering above her. His face was hidden by the shadows, but she could hear his heavy breathing in the darkness.

"Logan?" She narrowed her eyes and sat up slightly using her elbows to support her. In an instant, Logan was on her, kissing her just as passionately as he had before. He was relentless as his lips attacked hers, she couldn't catch her breath. His hands were tugging at the hem of her shirt and she allowed him to pull it up, over her head as he found her swollen lips once more.

"Logan." She breathed as his hands touched every inch of her. Her whole body was on fire as he kissed her neck and chest, his greedy lips lingering over her naked breasts, licking and teasing her until she couldn't think straight.

He moved lower, placing hot kisses over her lower abdomen; his fingers tucking into her pyjama pants. She lifted her hips slightly so he could pull them off. Having discarded her of all of her clothes, he pulled back and let his eyes feast on the glorious sight of her completely naked body on display for him. He had never wanted her more than he did right now.

Rory gazed up at him through hooded eyes and reached her hand out for him. He grasped her delicate hand in his and placed a soft kiss in her palm. He then tugged his shirt over his head and began unbuttoning his pants. He pushed them off and then positioned himself above Rory. He moved so he was lying in between her legs and planted a trail of kisses over her neck and jaw before catching her lips in a hungry embrace.

Rory's hands moved lower on his back until they were tucked into the waistline of his boxers. She tried to push them down; she wanted to feel all of him against her body. Understanding her intentions, Logan helped her discard of the last of his clothing.

"Logan, I need you…now…please." Rory panted as she felt his erection pressing eagerly against her opening. Unable to hold back, he thrust into her forcefully. She gasped as she adjusted to the size of him and then wrapped her legs around his waist, sheathing him completely inside her. She clung to him as he worked a steady rhythm, grunting and groaning with every move.

"God, Rory you are so amazing!" He cursed as he continued driving into her, loving the feel of being inside her with no restrictions. Rory bucked her hips up to meet his as she writhed underneath him. As soon as he started picking up the pace, she felt her muscles tense.

"Faster, Logan! I need…more…" He gave her exactly what she asked for and moments later, her whole body shuddered with the intensity of her orgasm as he sent her soaring over the edge. He followed quickly after her and then collapsed on top of her, completely spent both emotionally and physically.

They lay there for a few passing moments, panting for air. Rory revelled in the feeling of having his body pressed against hers. Usually, he would roll off of her immediately afterwards so as not to crush her. However, this time, he didn't. She wrapped her arms around him and he just lay there, his head on her chest, his eyes closed, and his arms clinging onto her for dear life. She stroked her fingers through his hair and listened as his breathing evened out and for the first time that week, he fell asleep peacefully in her arms.

RLRLRLRLRL

Rory tiptoed around the room trying to quietly pack her book bag as she got ready for class. Logan was still in bed sound asleep and she really didn't want to wake him seeing as this was probably the first good nights sleep he'd had in a while.

So as she searched the room looking for her modern poetry notes, her eyes flitted nervously over her boyfriend to see if he was still asleep. She held her breath and tried to make as little noise as possible until she heard a groan coming from him.

She stood frozen with wide eyes as she watched him roll over to face her. He slowly rubbed his eyes and yawned before gazing sleepily at her. "Morning."

Rory took a breath and gave him a loving smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep."

"What time is it?" He asked as he stretched out his arms and yawned again.

"It's still early. Go back to sleep." He sat up, supporting his head with one of his arms and watched her finish getting ready.

"I can't sleep if your not here." He said softly, his eyes still intent on her. Rory turned to face him with a look of sheer happiness on her face. That was probably the single most sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. "Why don't you come back to bed? Forget about your classes for one day."

"I can't." She insisted although the thought was tempting. He looked so irresistibly cute with his messy bed hair and his lips…God the man had the most kissable lips on the planet.

"Sure you can. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Have we learned nothing from 'Mad Hot Ballroom'?"

Rory rolled her eyes and then sat on the edge of the bed and tied her sneakers. Her smile broadened as she felt him come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist as he placed a kiss on her neck.

"Please?" he asked in a playfully teasing voice. Rory almost gave in right there. He peppered a trail of light kisses over her shoulder and neck while his hands were now under her shirt. She let her head fall back against him and her eyes closed over as she revelled in the feelings he was stirring in her.

"Rory…" The sound of her name on his lips made her melt and in that moment she gave in. She turned her head to the side and captured his lips in a frenzied kiss. He tangled his fingers in her hair and moved her so her body was pressed flush against his. He pulled her down on to the bed, never breaking their heated kiss. She moaned into his mouth as his hands grabbed her ass and pulled her down on top of him.

She lost all of her thought processes for a few moments as she gave herself to him. His hands on her skin were igniting feelings in her which made her want to just forget all about her Yale education and just lock herself in a room with him for the rest of their lives. No one had ever made her feel this way. He just seemed to know her body better than she knew it herself. He knew just what to do to make her weak at the knees.

As they kissed, and groped and worshipped one another, Rory suddenly remembered that she had a test in one of her classes today. A rather important one, that she could not miss under any circumstances. Finding will power she had no idea she even had, she broke the kiss and pulled away from him so she was now sitting, straddling his waist, looking down on him with lust-filled eyes as her chest heaved frantically for breath.

Logan took the opportunity to get some air, but he moved quickly to have her back with him. Rory held her hand up and pressed it flat against his chest, burning him with her touch. He gazed up at her with a mixture of lust and confusion in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" He was still panting. His lips were dangerously close to hers and she couldn't help but stare at them while biting her own lip as the desire rushed through her.

"I, um…I have to go to class. I have a…I have…test!" She breathed out; she was struggling not to kiss him again. He ran his hands over her thighs and pressed her down onto him so she could feel how much he wanted her to stay.

"Skip it." He whispered as his tongue made contact with her ear. Her breath hitched and her eyes rolled back in her head as he began sucking on her pulse point. She knew that if she didn't remove herself from his person soon that she would be in serious trouble. He had the power to make her do anything and she really couldn't afford to miss this test.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to ignore her ever increasing need for him. Summoning up as much strength as she had, she pushed him away from her and moved out of his reach.

"I have to go to class." Logan groaned at the loss of contact. She stood beside the bed looking back at him. Her chest heaving and her heavy eyes locked on his. Her lips were swollen and her clothes were crumpled. Her chocolate locks were in complete disarray. He had never wanted anyone so badly in his life. She was intoxicating.

"Rory, come on."

"No." She said firmly as she tried to straighten herself out. "And you should follow my example, are you ever going back to class?"

He fell back against the bed and let out a frustrated groan. "Not in the near future."

"Logan, you can't hide out here forever, you know."

His eyes snapped to hers. "Do you want me to go?"

"No." She replied instantly. She loved having him here. She didn't want him to think that she didn't want him here. "I just, I want you to go to class, call your sister back. Hang out with Finn and Colin. You know, normal stuff."

He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "You can't spend your life stuck in front of the TV. You have people who care about you. People who want to be there for you and help you. You don't have to go through all of this on your own."

He sat up and held her gaze with his. "I'm not on my own. I have you. Unless you're tired of me-"

She cut him off with a searing kiss. The kind that knocked the wind out of him. When she pulled back she smiled that perfect Rory smile and he felt his heart warm. He really had no idea what he would do without her.

"Never." She kissed him chastely and then finished getting ready. "Just think about what I said. At least call Honor back. She's left like fifteen messages for you. She's worried about you."

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes and sunk back down on the mattress. Rory let out a frustrated sigh and pulled her bag strap over her shoulders.

"I'll be back later." She stood for a moment waiting for his response before heading for the bedroom door. He just closed his eyes and muttered a goodbye.

RLRLRLRLRL

He was dressed. For the second day in a row, Logan had put on pants and a shirt. He had taken a shower and even shaved off his stubble. He was making real progress. Rory would be so proud.

He sat on the couch with the remote in his hands and his eyes on the TV. He wasn't really watching it, well he was but he wasn't really taking anything in. His mind was still replaying the last time he saw his Grandfather alive. The last conversation they'd had was Elias trying to play peacemaker between him and his father. He wondered what had been said after he left. He was curious to know if the argument had continued long after his escape. Had it gotten out of hand between them? Maybe he should've just kept his mouth shut. Maybe the fact that his Grandfather was dead was all his fault. He should've known better than to get into a fight with Mitchum. He should've known that his Father wouldn't back down and now he'd lost the one person who fought his corner, who supported him.

As he revelled in his self-pity for a few minutes longer, he didn't notice the door open and Paris enter the dorm.

He heard her groaning which was what made him look up. He smiled at Paris. She just glared at him.

"You're still here, I see?" She said dryly and sat her heavy pile of books on the desk.

"I'm still here. I know how much you love having me around, Paris. I just couldn't deprive you of my company." He couldn't help but rile her up. She was too easy. Even in his depressed state of mind, he still loved to see the fire blazing in her eyes.

"Bite me, Huntzberger!" She scowled at him and made her way to the kitchenette and started making herself some coffee.

Logan laughed to himself and turned his attention back to the TV. Just then the phone started ringing. He glanced over at it, but made no move to answer it. It was probably just Honor. He would talk to her eventually. He just couldn't face her right now.

Paris let out a frustrated sigh as Logan made no move to answer the phone. "I'll get it shall I?"

"No!" Logan's eyes flew wide open and he held up his hand. "Just let the machine get it."

"I live here to, you know. It could be someone calling to speak to me." She practically growled at him.

"So, when they leave you a message, you can call them back." He replied snappily. Paris folded her arms across her chest and glowered at him as they waited for the beep.

_Hey Rory? It's Honor again. Just wondering if Logan's there. If you could get him to call me, I'd really appreciate it and can you tell him that Grandpa's funeral is tomorrow. He needs to be there. I…I need him there. Bye._

Logan let out a deep sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He cringed at the sound of his sister's voice on the answering machine. She sounded so sad. He had to remind himself that he wasn't the only one who lost a Grandfather.

And it wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Honor. He did. He just wasn't ready to face the world right now. He had so much he still had to work through and he didn't need anyone telling him how to feel.

"Here." Logan snapped out of his thoughts to see Paris offering him a mug of coffee. He looked at it with a confused expression on his face and then let his eyes meet hers.

"What is it?"

"Its coffee." She rolled her eyes at him.

"You made me a cup of coffee?" He was truly stunned by her act of kindness. "Is it laced with arsenic?"

"Just take the damn thing, Huntzberger!" Logan accepted the cup and sniffed it before peering into the steaming beverage inspecting it for any foreign bodies. "Think of it as an 'I'm sorry your Grandfather died' coffee."

"Thanks." His eyes rose to meet hers and he took a sip. He was truly surprised when he didn't keel over from being poisoned by her.

"I'm not really fond of the whole Hallmark thing so…"

"Go figure." He laughed. Who knew Paris Gellar had a heart? He was truly stunned.

"I am, by the way, sorry. He was a great man of our time. I mean, your father is a great businessman, but the Huntzberger Publishing Group wouldn't be where it is today without your Grandfather." Paris said genuinely respectful of the late Huntzberger's achievements. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks." He was speechless. He was starting to get seriously freaked out. Had Paris had a lobotomy and become compassionate all of a sudden?

"Do you know that he took a year out after Graduation to go travelling around Asia?" She asked him with a slight smile on her face. Logan remained in awe of this new side of Paris.

"Um, no. How did you…?"

"I read his memoirs back in High School. He said that he didn't think he could write about the world until he had seen some of it."

Logan smiled softly and sat back on the couch. "That sounds like him."

Silence descended between them as Logan's thoughts returned to his Grandfather. He pictured him as a young man, defying his own father to go see some of the sights of the world. If it was at all possible, he admired him even more.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door, and he remembered that Paris was there as she moved off her seat and made her way to answer it. When she opened the door, Logan's eyes widened and his whole body shuddered as he heard the harsh sound of his father's voice booming from the hallway.

"Is Logan here?"

_**A/N: Uh oh! Mitchum's on the warpath. And I love Paris Gellar, she's so much fun to write. I hope you all enjoyed the new update and leave a little review before you go. Its only good manners. Thanks, J.**_


	15. Chapter 15: Misery Business

**AN: I feel like every time I post an update, I'm always apologising for taking so long. I need to get my act together and get you speedier updates :D Well, here is one for you. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. Its much appreciated. I love to hear what you think and even if you don't leave a review, I still really appreciate that you take the time to read my little stories. So, thanks to everyone. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show. **

When it's meant to be

Chapter Fifteen: Misery Business

"Well, is my son here or not?" Mitchum insisted as Paris stared up at him in awe. She hesitated whether or not to tell him the truth. She couldn't believe she was even contemplating covering for Logan Huntzberger, but going by the look on his father's face, she was pretty confident that he wasn't there so they could hug and talk about kittens. He looked angry, and fierce. He looked like the 'all powerful Mitchum Huntzberger' and for probably the first time in her life, Paris Geller was slightly intimidated by another human being.

"Um…"

"I'm here," Logan pushed the door open and glared at his father with hatred in his eyes, "what are you doing here, Dad?"

"I was looking for you." He fixed him with a stern look. Logan gestured to Paris to leave them alone. She duly obliged. "You don't return any of your messages. Your sister has been beside herself worrying about you. Tell me Logan, did you ever give any consideration for your family before you decided to disappear?"

"I didn't disappear. I just needed some time to…"

"In case you hadn't noticed, your Grandfather just died. At times like these it is important to be around family, not hiding out at some floozy's dorm room." Mitchum cut him off and Logan felt his blood boil at his hypocrisy.

"You can talk," he said coldly, his anger was bubbling under the surface.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, where were you while your father was lying in the hospital, huh? Oh that's right; you were in London at some all important meeting. You couldn't tear yourself away to see your own father on his death bed." Logan's tone was overflowing with bitterness. He couldn't contain the hatred he felt for his father. He would never forgive him for whatever part he played in Elias' death.

"Mind your tone, young man," he scolded him. "I was ensuring that the future of the company your grandfather worked so hard over the years to build up is in safe hands."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure the Huntzberger Publishing Group would have survived you not attending one meeting. You should've been there to say goodbye." Logan felt a lump forming in his throat. His resentment towards his father ran deeper than even he knew.

Mitchum didn't respond. He lowered his gaze to the floor and let out a sigh. Logan wasn't sure whether he was agreeing with him, and it was a sigh of regret and sorrow on his part or if it was just a sigh of frustration at the conversation. He wouldn't find out as his father quickly regained his focus and turned his attention to the reason he was here in the first place. He lifted his gaze back to Logan and stared back at his son with focused brown eyes. He moved his hand to his inside coat pocket and removed an envelope before offering it to Logan.

"What's this?"

"It's a plane ticket to London. I booked you on a flight tomorrow night. You'll leave after the funeral," he informed him in his usual no nonsense tone. Logan shut his eyes as he tried to control his increasing anger at the man.

"You have got to be kidding me?" He accepted the envelope from his father's grip and examined the contents. Sure enough, there was a plane ticket to London staring back at him.

"I want you to meet with the department heads first thing Saturday morning. You already missed out the last time. This time you can learn what you should have before." Logan shook his head and ran his hand through his hair as he tried to understand the logic behind his father's thinking. His Grandfather had just died and was to be buried tomorrow, and Mitchum wanted him to fly to London shortly afterwards so he could be bored to death.

"No," he said simply. His natural defiant instinct was kicking in. Mitchum's eyes darkened as he glowered at his son. Logan stood firm. He would not be intimidated by him.

"I'm not here to argue with you, Logan. You are going and that's that." He didn't give him a chance to argue back. He turned and stormed off down the corridor. "And you better show up at the funeral, Logan. I'll drag you there myself if I have to."

For a moment he considered shouting 'screw you' at his father as he walked away but thought better of it. Instead, he shut the door over and let out a frustrated sigh. His eyes trailed over the plane ticket he was holding in his hands and suddenly he felt the overwhelming anger spill over and he took it out on the unsuspecting door. As soon as he felt the pain in his bare foot after making contact with the wooden door, he winced in agony and hobbled towards Rory's bedroom cursing his father to hell.

Paris sat on the couch in silence having been witness to the whole scene. Her eyes followed Logan's retreating form into the room before returning to survey any damage inflicted on the door. She felt a slight pang of sympathy for his predicament, but she was more concerned with the state of their door. She knew for certain that she wouldn't be the one paying for any repairs.

RLRLRLRL

Rory sat alone in the library reading through her books, taking notes for the paper she had due. As strained a time as it was, she was determined to get the best grade she could. Her mind was constantly drifting off to other places, mainly wondering what Logan was doing and if he was alright. She wished that she could do more for him. She wished that she could make him feel better, but short of bringing his Grandfather back from the dead, the chances of seeing a smile on Logan's face any time soon were slim to none. But that didn't mean that she would stop trying.

In her own heart, Rory felt conflicted. She hated seeing him so heart broken and desolate. She could only imagine how it must feel to lose someone so important. That was why she tried so hard to get him to open up more and let not only her in, but also the other people in his life who loved him. Finn and Colin were his best friends. They had been through so much over the years; it had surprised her that he would push them away. Then there was Honor. For as long as Rory had known Logan, she had seen first hand how close they were, but he had been avoiding her phone calls. She knew deep down that for Logan to be able to deal with his grief, he would need the love and support of his sister and friends and she was sorry that he had locked them out. However, the fact that he had turned to her in his hour of need, made her feel happy. Getting close to Logan over the last few months had been a battle that she finally felt she was winning. He trusted her enough to seek solace in her and with every second that passed, she felt the strength of her feelings growing to where she was sure she had fallen completely in love with him.

"What are you smiling about?" She heard a warm, deep voice address her and as she looked up from her books, the smile she hadn't even been aware of grew bigger. Logan stood before her, his inquisitive brown eyes made her stomach flutter. She tried in vain to hide the blush that crept over her skin but it was impossible. She couldn't deny the ways in which he affected her.

"I was thinking about you," she said honestly holding his gaze as he sat down. He offered her a tiny smile in reply and ran his hand through his messy hair.

She tried to ignore the pained gleam in his eyes and the tension in his shoulders. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world with him and she wished she could lighten his load if only for a moment. Instinctively, she reached out her hand and placed it over his as he let out a sigh. Her brows furrowed, her smile vanishing from sight, she wished she could read his mind.

"Are you okay?" Logan breathed a heavy sigh and pulled his hand out from under hers. She ignored the pang she felt and tried not to take it as rejection.

"I'm fine." She watched him carefully as he picked up one of her books and started leafing through it distractedly. She could tell that something was bothering him, something more than the usual. But she didn't want to push. He would open up to her in his own time. She just had to remain patient with him. "Okay. Um, I'll be right back. I just have to put this book back."

Logan kept his gaze on the book in his hands and Rory quietly pushed out her chair and disappeared into the stacks.

After replacing the book back where she found it, she let her curious eyes take in the other titles. Lost to her own thoughts, she jumped when she felt someone snake their arms around her waist. She craned her neck to see Logan standing behind her with an amused smile on his face.

"Logan, you scared me!"

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." He chuckled in a light tone. His ever changing mood surprising her once again.

"You know, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that. You almost gave me a heart attack…" Before the words were even out of her mouth, she regretted it. How could she say something so inconsiderate given the circumstances? Instantly, she twisted around in his grip and stared up into his tortured eyes. "I didn't mean, I…"

Logan brushed her hair from her face and smiled again briefly. He leaned forward and softly touched his lips to hers. When he pulled back, Rory wanted to pull him close again. It seemed even the slightest of caresses from his lips ignited the passion she felt for him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and breathed in his scent as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Ace, you don't have anything to be sorry for." His hand cupped her cheek and he pressed a kiss against her forehead. She closed her eyes and breathed him in as she tightened her arms around him. Her skin tingled from his kisses. Her whole body was on fire just from being in close proximity to him.

"I missed you today," he whispered softly and Rory smiled again. It took the slightest thing to make her happy in his presence.

"I missed you too."

"Honor called," her eyes opened in surprise as she studied his blanketed expression.

"You talked to her?" she asked hopeful that he would have finally spoken to his sister.

"No. She left a message. The funeral's tomorrow," he said and lowered his gaze to the floor. Rory furrowed her brows as she saw how sad he was. She wished she could say something to cheer him up or take his mind off it.

"Why don't we go out tonight?" she suggested trying to sound chipper. Logan met her gaze and furrowed his brows. "We could call Finn and Colin and Stephanie and we could hang out at the pub, just have a few drinks, talk."

"I don't know," he shrugged. He wasn't really sure he was up for socialising. The only thing he wanted to do of late was hide away with Rory.

"Come on, it might take your mind off things. At least for a little while," she reasoned with him, Logan glanced down into her big blue eyes and found himself smiling. He noticed her eyelashes fluttering and her pouty lips snare him in. He was powerless against her. She could probably get him to do anything just with a look. And that was starting to trouble him more than he liked.

With a sigh he gave in, "Fine. We'll hang out but just for a little while."

Rory's smile widened and she flung her arms around his neck before capturing his mouth in a victorious kiss.

When she pulled back she was beaming and despite himself, Logan mirrored her expression. He loved seeing her happy. He loved being able to make her happy. After everything that she had done for him lately, he wanted nothing more than to see her smile at him. It lifted the constant cloud of depression from his soul and made him light again. Even if it was only temporarily.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Never before had hanging out with his friends required so much thought and effort on his part. He used to be in the centre of all conversation, laughing and sharing jokes and anecdotes with the people who meant the most to him. However, tonight he had never felt more out of place in his life. He sat in the booth next to Rory, his hand permanently linked with hers, while Colin, Finn and Stephanie regaled them all with stories of yesteryear. Logan sipped on his scotch and drifted in and out of the conversation, adding nothing but silence. His mind was elsewhere. He wasn't sure exactly where, but he couldn't focus on the people around him. He just stared off into the distance and remained completely disconnected from his surroundings.

He wasn't really aware of much apart from the heartbreaking despair he felt at his Grandfather's passing or the mind numbing rage he felt directed at his father. He had been wracking his brain all day trying to come up with ways he could avoid going on this trip to London. Aside from faking his own death, he was pretty much screwed. He would have to grin and bare it, unless he wanted to feel the full wrath of his father. As much as it would delight him in riling up his father even more so, he didn't have the fight in him any more. He was just so tired of feeling so angry and resentful all the time. But he couldn't figure out how to let the flames of rage abate enough for him to be able to go through the motions anymore. It was like his Grandfather's death had flicked a switch inside him that unleashed twenty plus years of anger and hatred and resentment towards his father and it was burning a hole inside him. He had no way to extinguish those flames.

Well that wasn't entirely true. The only solace he found was in the arms of Rory Gilmore. She was the only one who could turn that switch off for a little while at least. Perhaps that was why he had spent so much time with her of late. When he was around her, he didn't feel so anxious or enraged. One smile, one kiss from her perfect lips made it all melt away. She was the antidote to his sickness and he felt even guiltier for taking advantage of that.

Was that really the only reason he had spent so much time with her? Because she made him feel better. Because she took away some of the pain he felt. If that was the case, then he was just using her and that wasn't fair on her whatsoever. She deserved more than that, and he felt guilty all over again.

He felt her squeeze his hand and her eyes were on him, staring thoughtfully up at him. "Hey, are you okay?"

She whispered in his ear and he nodded his reply. He didn't look at her, he couldn't.

"Who's for another round?" Finn asked as he pushed out his chair and sauntered towards the bar. Colin and Stephanie chatted amongst themselves as Logan felt Rory's eyes bore into him.

"Penny for them," she leaned her elbow on the table, supporting her head as she studied him from the side. Logan took another sip of his scotch before turning to face her. He offered her a faint smile but she only narrowed her eyes at him as her concern for him grew clearer through her expression.

"Do you want to get out of here?" she ventured her voice quiet so the others wouldn't hear. Logan shook his head. He wasn't exactly in his element, but he had missed the company of his friends. He would stick it out for a little while longer. It was the least he owed them.

"I'm fine, Rory." He tried to sound certain in his assurance but she could see through his bravado. She always could. She slid her hand onto his thigh not in a seductive manner, but as a genuine attempt to provide him with some comfort. She didn't have to say anything to make him feel her presence and her support. It was implied in everything that she did or said. It just was. She was there for him for anything that he needed and he loved her for it.

"Sorry I took so long, guys. This place is crawling with hotties tonight," Finn planted himself back down on the chair across from Logan and Rory and dished out all of their drinks. He was still relatively sober, they all were. They were all too afraid to get drunk in case Logan broke down and finally let them in. Finn and Colin had felt it the most, having their best friend lock them out when he was going through something so horrible. They hated standing on the sidelines, helpless, unable to do anything to make it better for him for at least a minute or two. He was like a brother to them. So when he hurt, they both felt it. They were both at a loss as to what to do to make it better. But apparently Rory knew and they were grateful that he had her to help him.

"Well don't let me cramp your style," Logan mused as he finished his scotch and started on the next one.

"They'll keep," Finn studied his old friend and then shrugged his shoulders. "It's been a while since we had the chance to hang out like old times."

Rory smiled at Finn and then linked her fingers through Logan's again and moved so she was leaning against him. She rest her head on Logan's shoulder and he automatically kissed her hair without thinking. Stephanie, Colin and Finn stared at the twosome completely floored by such an intimate act between them. Stephanie couldn't help but sigh with a huge grin on her face.

"What?" Logan furrowed his brows as he noticed the soppy look on her face.

"You two are so cute together. You're such a boyfriend. All loved up. Its adorable," she sighed again and Rory chuckled at her observation. Logan shifted slightly uncomfortable that his unconscious display of affection towards Rory had been picked up by his friends.

"It's not like you've never seen us together, Steph." He said slightly annoyed that she had pointed out his behaviour. He wasn't embarrassed or afraid to show how he felt about Rory, but something was irking him.

"I know, but you just seem…really together. It's like you're closer or something. It's sweet. I'm happy for you guys," she explained and Logan relaxed a little. Although he still felt awkward about even touching Rory without some kind of comment being made.

He downed the rest of his drink and placed the glass on the table. He sat up sharply causing Rory to slide down beside him. She caught herself and straightened up. "My round! Same again?"

He stood up and slid out of the booth before anyone could reply, the rest of the group watched as he made his way to the bar. They were still nursing their drinks and soon their eyes moved from Logan to fall on Rory.

"So, how is he really?" Colin asked her firmly, leaning towards her. "I tried to talk to him earlier in the gents, but he just clammed up."

"Yeah, every time I even broach the subject of the funeral tomorrow, he shuts me down." Finn mentioned and Rory shifted in her seat.

"I didn't mean anything bad about you guys before. I think it's great how close you are." Stephanie added, clearly bothered by how Logan had taken her previous comment.

"Has he said anything to you? Is he alright?"

"Guys! Guys!" Rory held her hands up as their questions and comments came in a barrage. "One at a time," she turned to Colin and gave him a reassuring smile. "He's coping. I think he's okay, but he doesn't really talk too much."

"But he tells you some stuff, right?" Colin asked his concern for his lifelong friend plain to see. Rory shrugged.

"Sometimes. He's not really big on sharing."

"He's a guy," Stephanie commented knowingly, "their not universally known for talking about their feelings."

"And what about the funeral? He is going, right? Honor said she wasn't sure," Finn inquired with hopeful eyes.

"I don't know. I think he should. It would be good for him. It'd be a chance for him to say goodbye but…" she trailed off. She wasn't sure whether Logan was ready to say goodbye yet.

"But?"

"…we'll see." She took a sip of her drink and her eyes were drawn towards the bar as Logan was being served. He looked tired and pale like he hadn't gotten a good nights sleep in ages. She glanced back at his friends to see they all had worried expressions on their faces. She couldn't help but smile. As distant as Logan was from his family, he had a lot of people who loved him and wanted him to be okay. Her included.

Logan returned to the table carrying a tray of fresh drinks. The others sorted them out amongst themselves as Logan slid back into the booth beside Rory. As she tried to link her fingers through his again, he pulled away and picked up his glass. Rory frowned as she noted his icy demeanour towards her. He hadn't looked at her since returning to the table and there were at least a couple of inches of space between them. Rory stared at him with a hurt expression as he fell into conversation with Finn and Colin. Rory looked away and stared down at her hands on her lap. She sighed; disheartened by the cold shoulder he was giving her.

"Drink up, Gilmore!" Stephanie spoke noticing the change between Rory and Logan. Rory glanced up and smiled faintly at Stephanie before taking a sip of her drink. Stephanie gave her a sympathetic smile in return.

As the evening wore on, Logan had pretty much spent most of his time talking to everyone other than Rory. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such treatment, but she found herself feeling increasingly isolated from the group. Logan was turned away from her and the others were just grateful to have a small part of their old friend back to normal. Stephanie had tried to bring the conversation back to Rory, but her efforts were in vain and Rory was starting to feel like a major fifth wheel.

She glanced down at her watch and noticed that it was only 9.30pm. The night was still young and she didn't really feel like being ignored for the rest of it. Finishing the last of her drink, she twisted in her seat and pulled on her jacket. Her movement caught the attention of Finn who broke out of his conversation about his last summer in Australia, to address her.

"You're not leaving are you, Gilmore?" Logan and Colin turned their attention to Rory and Logan furrowed his brow as he poured his drink down his throat.

"Yeah, I just remembered I have a paper due tomorrow. I should go home and finish it," she lied avoiding making eye contact with Logan. She felt his hazel eyes burrowing through her.

"You never said," he spoke up and Rory finally let her gaze fall on him. She shrugged and gestured for him to move and let her out of the booth.

"I forgot. I should…" Logan slid out of the booth and stood as she brushed past him.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked still holding his glass in his hand. Rory bit her lip as she faced him and smiled, shaking her head.

"That's alright. You stay. Have fun with the guys." Her smile was slightly strained but Logan didn't notice.

"Okay. I'll call you a cab," he moved to pull his cell phone from his back pocket, but Rory reached up and gripped his wrist, stopping him.

"It's okay. I'll walk. It's not too far. I'll be fine," she assured him and Logan frowned not liking the idea of her walking by herself at night.

She took a step towards him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She pulled away before he could touch her and waved to the rest of the group. She turned away and began walking towards the door but she felt a hand on her arm tugging her back around. Logan stood before her with a hesitant look on his face.

"Can I come back to the dorm later?" he asked biting his lip waiting for her answer. Rory was surprised to see the intensity in his eyes. She was surprised that he still wanted to stay with her considering how cold he had been to her all night. She felt a mixture of hurt and anger at his treatment of her but when she stared into his hazel eyes she saw so much vulnerability there that her anger immediately drained away to be replaced with the overwhelming need to be there for him.

She smiled softly and leaned into him placing a tender kiss on his lips before drawing away. Her hand touched his cheek and she gazed up into his sombre eyes.

"I'll leave the light on." With one more kiss, she took a step away and started walking towards the door. She looked back over her shoulder to see him watching her go. He gave her a half smile and she returned it in full.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

The sound of a phone ringing in the distance interrupted what was turning out to be a very nice dream. She was on a desert island being fanned and fed grapes by two very attractive men who were also singing to her in some foreign, exotic language that she couldn't make out, but it sounded beautiful.

All of a sudden the beautiful, melodic song turned into 'Baby's got back', which just happened to be the same song as the ringtone Finn had chosen for her cell phone. The two good-looking guys disappeared and she was no longer on the desert island, but in her bedroom. She slowly opened her eyes and heard the annoying phone buzzing away obnoxiously on her nightstand. The room was in darkness and she was alone. She rolled over to reach for the phone and checked the time was well after midnight. She flipped open her phone and answered sleepily, rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn.

"Hello?" She heard people talking in the background before the voice of her boyfriend broke her out of her sleepy daze.

"Ace?

She sat up straight on the bed as she adjusted to consciousness. "Logan? Where are you? Are you-?"

"I'm fine. Listen, I need you to me a favour," his tone wasn't giving anything away at all. She could still hear talking in the background but she couldn't make out any familiar voices. Was he still at the pub? Was he still with Colin and Finn?

"Um, sure. What do you need me to do?" she was still a little out of it from sleep, but her mind was beginning to catch up.

"Can you call Honor and tell her to come down to the New Haven Police Department?"

"What!?"

**AN: Uh oh! Sorry to leave it there but I had to. :P In the next chapter, we'll find out what happened and why Logan is at the police department, plus the funeral will take place. So grab those hankies! LOL. Once again, I'd like to thank you all for reading and please remember to leave a nice little review before you go. Thanks,**

**Julie**


	16. Chapter 16: Breakthrough

When Its Meant To Be

Chapter Sixteen: Breakthrough

Rory stood in the common room waiting for her coffee to brew, anxiously waiting for some word about Logan. He had called about two hours ago asking her to get in touch with his sister so she could go and bail him out of jail. He hadn't gone into details about why he was in jail or about what had happened. And so, Rory was beside herself with worry.

She checked the clock; her eyes kept shifting frantically from the coffee pot to the clock while she nervously tapped her foot on the floor.

She should have insisted on going with Honor to bail him out, at least that way she would be able to see for herself if he was alright. Her brain started going into overdrive, dreaming up all different kinds of scenarios. And she needed to see Logan for herself to make her feel relaxed.

Twenty minutes passed and she had drunk a lot of coffee in the process before she heard muffled voices in the hallway. She sprang from the couch and ran over to the door, pulling it open as she saw a tired and bloodied Logan scowling as his sister laid into him. He raised his eyes to Rory in recognition but didn't say anything as he and Honor entered the dorm room. Rory just stood there, holding the door open feeling relieved that Logan was there. He was finally there.

"Of all the stupid, moronic, idiotic things you've done, I cannot believe you got into a bar fight!" Honor's voice was full of condemnation. Logan ignored her and sat on the couch and turned on the TV. He began flicking through the channels as Honor continued on her tirade. Rory finally shut the door and walked over to where Honor was pacing back and forth. Her eyes fell upon Logan and she noticed the rather large cut on the side of his face. She saw that his shirt was bloodied, his hair was a mess and he looked so pale and tired. When he ran his hand through his messy hair, she winced as she saw his knuckles were cut as well. Immediately she went into autopilot and made a beeline for the drawer with the first aid kit. She pulled it out and went over to the couch. She sat beside Logan and went about cleaning him up.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Honor babbled on, "You weren't thinking, were you? That's your problem. You never think! You just do stupid stuff all the time. You could have gotten really hurt. You could've hurt somebody else. Did you think about that? Of course you didn't. You don't think about anybody but yourself!"

Logan gazed down at Rory curiously as she reached up to dab some antiseptic to his cut. He winced in pain as soon as she made contact with his bleeding skin but let her continue. She whispered sorry to him but carried on doing the same to his knuckles. She cleaned him up and then applied a dressing over the cut on his head. She wrapped a bandage over his knuckles and stared up at him with concern on her face as she appraised her work. She brushed her fingers softly over the cut on his lip. Logan leaned towards her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as a thank you and as way of alleviating her fears. He could see the horror and worry in her eyes and he wished he could kiss it away. He squeezed her hand in his and then winced as the pain rushed through his body.

"Do you have any idea what Dad's going to say when he finds out about this? He is going to kill you. You know that, right? He is going to kill you!" Honor shook her head and slumped down on the chair across from both Rory and Logan. Logan placed another kiss on Rory's forehead and she rest her head on his shoulder. She could relax now. Logan was alright and he was safe. They needed to talk about what had happened, but right now she was just happy that he was okay.

"Honor, look I'm sorry about all of this. I appreciate you bailing me out…"

"Again. How many times is this?" she interrupted him with annoyance in her tone.

Logan sighed. "I owe you."

Honor brightened at this. She sat up in her chair and placed her hands on her lap. "You do owe me, don't you?"

"Whatever you want," Logan said calmly as Rory traced her fingers softly over his bandaged hand.

"You could come to the funeral tomorrow. Or I guess its today now. I haven't even been to bed yet."

Logan sighed and lay back against the couch. "Honor," he whined. He had managed to forget about the fact that his Grandfather was getting buried tomorrow. He didn't want to be reminded. He didn't want to deal with it at all.

"Logan, you have to come. He loved you and you loved him. This is your chance to say goodbye." She tried to reason with him, her tone becoming softer in the process. She knew how hard he had taken his Grandfather's passing. But he couldn't bury his head in the sand. It wasn't healthy.

Logan frowned as he dropped Rory's hand and pulled himself up from the couch.

"Maybe I don't want to say goodbye," he muttered as he made his way through to Rory's bedroom, leaving his girlfriend and his sister to look on with concern on their faces and in their hearts. As he banged the door shut behind him, Honor sighed and turned her gaze to Rory. Rory smiled sadly and then stared back at the door.

"He needs to be there. He can't keep going the way he's going. Grandpa wouldn't want him to be so depressed." Honor explained. Rory glanced back at her and saw how tired and defeated she looked.

This past week, Rory had put so much energy into being there for Logan. She understood how hard it must be. She couldn't even contemplate losing her own Grandfather. Nothing terrified her more and so she had tried to do whatever she could to help Logan and understand. But as she watched Honor closely she could see how heavily the strain of trying to hold everything together was taking on the blonde. She looked so tired and frail. She wasn't the bubbly, happy Honor. She was a sad, lonely young woman who had not only lost her Grandfather but also had been pushed away by the one remaining family member that she could stand. From what she had heard and seen, Honor had always been the peacemaker in the Huntzberger family, backed up by a stern old man. Now he was no longer in the picture. She was on her own and receiving pressure from all sides. Rory couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Logan was too far absorbed in his own grief that he couldn't see how much pain his sister, his closest relative was in. And she knew that he would hate himself for that.

Rory stood up and moved over to where Honor was sitting. She sat down on the coffee table in front of her and placed her hand over Honor's. As the older woman gazed up at her she could see her eyes full of unshed tears. Rory's heart broke for her. She squeezed her hand tighter and smiled fondly at her. "He'll be there. I'll make sure he's there."

Her voice was barely a whisper but the comfort Honor took from her words was visible on her face. A stray tear fell down her cheek and Rory wiped it away. Honor smiled and squeezed her hand firmly. "Thank you, Rory. For everything. I'm glad he has you. I don't want him to be alone in this. I wish I could make it better for him. I wish…"

"Honor, you're an amazing sister. Logan knows that you're there for him. Just give him time and he'll be there for you too." Rory assured her and Honor smiled. Another tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away.

"God, I must look ridiculous!" she said as she clutched her purse and pulled out her compact. As she began surveying the damage to her face after a night of no sleep and no make-up, Rory stood up and walked over towards the kitchenette to make some more coffee.

"Do you want some coffee?" she offered. Honor finished assessing her puffy eyes and gathered her stuff together. She stood up and started walking towards the door. She shook her head as Rory filled up the coffee pot.

"No thank you. I need to get some sleep and I won't if I have any caffeine."

"Are you sure?" Rory offered again seeing how tired Honor looked.

"No. I'm good." Honor shook her head and peered over towards the bedroom. "I should go. Just keep an eye on him, okay?"

Rory nodded and then met her at the door. Honor grabbed the notepad from beside the telephone and began scribbling on it. She ripped the sheet of paper off and handed it to Rory.

"These are all the details for the funeral. It starts at 9.30 am. Try and get him there. I'll be forever indebted to you." She said pleadingly. Rory smiled and nodded her head.

"He'll be there," she said firmly. Honor sighed and offered her a grateful smile. Rory gave her a warm hug and held the door open as she slid out into the hallway. "Goodnight."

Rory shut the door and poured herself some coffee, her eyes drifting towards her bedroom. She sighed as she thought of Logan and all that he was going through. Her sympathy turned to anger though as she remembered what had happened tonight. He had gotten into a fight and then wound up in jail. Honor was right; he was an idiot.

Finishing her coffee, she cleaned the mug and turned off all the lights before heading to her bedroom where she was planning on confronting him. She opened the door and stopped in her tracks as she saw Logan sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He looked so lost and sad that her resolve to quiz him on his antics melted a little. She slipped into the room and quietly shut the door behind her. She made her way over to the bed and stood in front of him, watching him for a few seconds before he finally lifted his head up and gazed up at her with sad eyes.

"Logan…what happened tonight?" she asked while trying not to throw her arms around him and ease his pain. Logan just sighed but kept his eyes locked on hers. He didn't reply but placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. He rest the side of his face against her stomach and just closed his eyes. Rory hesitated for a few seconds before running her fingers through his hair. She leaned down and kissed his hair and then cupped his face with her hands. "Logan…?"

"Can we talk about it in the morning?" he pleaded with her, "I just want to go to sleep."

Rory nodded and made her way to the other side of the bed. As she climbed in, her eyes stuck on Logan as he removed his shirt. She noticed him wince in pain once again and then her eyes widened in horror as she saw a large purple bruise on his lower back. She gasped and had to stop herself from flying across the bed to examine this new blemish on his otherwise perfect skin.

"Logan…?"

"Just go to sleep, Ace." Logan's voice sounded flat and tired. He didn't have the energy to get into another fight. He just wanted to forget this night had happened and go to sleep. He waited for Rory to say something else but she remained silent and so he unbuttoned his pants and pushed them off before climbing into bed and lay on his side facing away from Rory. He reached over to turn off the bedside lamp and felt his injuries again. When he lay back down, he let out a long heavy sigh and closed his eyes. He didn't say another word but he didn't go to sleep either. He couldn't. He had too much on his mind. He had screwed up tonight, he knew that much. If it hadn't been for Colin and Finn pulling him off that guy in the bar, things might have been a lot worse. Although right now he couldn't think of anything worse than having to bury his grandfather in the morning.

He felt Rory shift on the bed and he knew that she was still awake. He wanted so desperately to reach out to her. For her to tell him that everything would be alright. Right now, she was the only thing keeping him even remotely sane and he knew that he was taking advantage of that. He knew that she would do anything for him and while he had once thought that he was falling for her, he was too mixed up right now to deal with letting someone else into his heart. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else right now. But he didn't want to be alone. He couldn't go through this by himself. He really didn't want to admit it to himself, but he needed someone to remind him to take a breath and Rory didn't seem to mind being that person.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Morning light crept through the window awakening Logan from his sleep. He took a few moments to let his brain adjust before slowly opening his eyes. He let out a yawn and slid his hand over the other side of the bed, feeling for Rory. She wasn't there.

A feeling of disappointment flooded over him. He had grown accustomed to waking up beside her lately.

He lay in bed for a moment longer before the pain of his newly sustained injuries registered. His body ached all over and he could really do with some painkillers to take the edge off. Sitting up, he surveyed the room before his eyes landed on a glass of water and two little white pills sitting on the nightstand. He smiled to himself, touched that Rory would be so thoughtful. He reached over and swallowed the pills washing them down with the water, wincing in pain all the way.

He lay back down on the mattress and shut his eyes hoping to drift back to sleep, however at the back of his mind, he knew there was an important event taking place today, and as much as he wanted to forget all about it, he couldn't.

He wasn't going to the funeral. His mind was made up but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. He just couldn't face it. He couldn't watch them bury his Grandfather. He couldn't bear to see his mother and father acting like they actually gave a damn.

His throat tightened and he felt tears prickle the back of his eyes. Letting out a deep breath, he flung off the covers and slowly climbed out of bed. He searched for a clean t-shirt and pulled it on, covering his bruised ribs.

Logan then made his way through to the common room, where he fixed himself a cup of tea and plopped down onto the sofa. He turned on the TV and began his daily ritual of flicking through channel after channel until he came across something that spiked his interest.

He could feel the painkillers start to take effect and he wished for something that could numb his mind as well as his body from the physical and emotional pain he felt. The TV would have to do.

Ten minutes passed and the door to the common room opened. Logan pulled his eyes away from the TV to see Rory standing there with a coffee container in one hand and suit bag in the other. He furrowed his brows and turned off the TV.

"Hey, where have you been?" he asked as she draped the suit bag over the chair and finished her coffee.

"I just had to drop by your apartment to pick up some things for you," she explained while removing her jacket. She sat down on the chair opposite him and began searching through her own bag.

"What things?" he asked leaning forward, holding his side. He was curious now.

"Um, just a suit and shoes and a tie," she answered him distracted in her quest to find whatever it was she was looking for in her bag. Logan was growing frustrated with her.

"Why would I need a suit, shoes and a tie, Rory?" he asked already knowing the answer to that question. Finally, she looked up at him and met his gaze.

"For the funeral," she said simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Logan let out a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, trying to maintain his cool.

"But I'm not going to the funeral," he said firmly, his jaw clenched.

"Yes you are."

"Rory-" She cut him off before he could start his tirade.

"Logan, this is your chance to say goodbye."

"I don't want to say goodbye."

"Well tough. You're going."

"No, I'm not," he said childishly and sat back on the couch, glaring at her.

"Okay, I have tried to be patient with you. I have tried to be understanding because I can't imagine what you're going through, but you're not the only one who lost someone, Logan. Will you stop being so selfish?" she lambasted him, "Honor needs you. She lost her Grandfather too, but she isn't sitting around in her underwear watching TV. She is running around, bailing out her brother from jail, trying to help arrange everything, whilst dealing with your parents."

"Have you even once stopped to consider how she feels? No, of course you haven't. You just shut her out, just like you shut out Colin and Finn and me. Honor lost her Grandfather too. And in a way it's actually worse for her, because not only did she lose him, but she lost you too. You cut her out of your life when she needed you the most and I'm not going to sit around and just watch you hurt the people you claim to love. So, go take a shower and get dressed, because you are going to that funeral, Logan. Finn will be here in one hour and you better be ready."

Logan let her words sink in and he instantly knew that she was right. Growing up, Honor had been his closest family and they had always been there for one another. But now when they both needed each other the most, he had pushed her away and let her go through all of this by herself. He had been so consumed with his own feelings of guilt and anger that he had forgotten to consider the feelings of the only family member he had left who really meant anything to him. He was a terrible brother. She had always been there to take care of him, to clean up his messes and this was how he repaid her.

"You're right," he admitted shamefully. Rory's anger dissipated and she sat down on the couch beside him, taking his hands in hers.

"You have to go, Logan. You should have seen how upset she was last night. She needs you," Rory said softly, squeezing Logan's hands.

"I know," he nodded and lowered his gaze to their entwined hands. Breathing a heavy sigh, he stood up and made his way through to Rory's bedroom. Rory watched him as he went with a triumphant smile on her face. She had finally managed to get through to him. She was so relieved. Her smile dropped slightly when he turned back to face her.

"Hey Rory?" He met her gaze and she could see how much he was struggling with all of this.

"Yeah?"

"Will you come with me?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly. She had never seen him look so vulnerable. Her heart swelled with sympathy and love for him. She smiled and nodded slowly.

"Of course."

**AN: Next chapter will be the funeral. I hope you liked this one and are sticking with me despite my poor updating record of late. I'm trying to rectify that. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
